Book I: You Are: The Sun, Moon, and Stars
by AlwaysMakingTrouble
Summary: Wealth, prosperity, honor in the town... What more could I want?... Oh, that's right. Someone to share it with.
1. Chapter 1

**Yeah... A whole new route for my writing and it's not very good so... Writer's block is killing me.**

Fault Lines

~I was young, wealthy, successful and happy... so as far as anyone else knew... I had 'saved the town' from certain destruction by builders, by the weather supposedly, and by the Harvest Goddess herself. Being a resident of the village now, I found myself befriended by all and nearly every eligible male wanted my hand in marriage. There wasn't a day that there wasn't a present in the mail for me or some figure standing outside my door in the dim morning light requesting my accompaniment to dinner or such, but the problem was that the one I wanted wasn't even around.

~Let me explain. There were several men availible for marriage- Owen- the muscular, handsome blacksmith's apprentice, Calvin- the successful archeologist, Luke- the carpenter's apprentice who one of my friends was partricularly fond, and Toby- the laidback fisherman. Jin, the town's only doctor, married my friend Anessia while Chase, the most fabulous cook I'd ever met, married a less skilled Maya. Julius, a rather androdginist looking person, married a sweet and loving Candace while her sister remained single until Kai came from another village, and they hit it off immediately. My two dearest friends, Lillith and Ivory, had recently moved into the Maple Lake District and built fine houses near the lake. Little did they know, I had already done some matchmaking while they were getting settled in. I decided that Lillith went perfectly with Calvin's adventurous spirit and Ivory with Owen and his firey personality. I might have been single, but I wasn't going to allow them to stay single for long. The only man that caught my eye was the one who left this town shortly after my last run in with danger and he wanted away from the island like it was a prison. My heart ached for so long afterwards, but I could manage to just hope that he would come back.

* * *

~I cast my third line into the Carmel River in the slight spring breeze. Lillith sat next to me- her long, dark hair flowing over her shoulders like a waterfall of dark chocolate; her solemn eyes were captivated by the bobbing motion of the styrofoam in the calm waters.

~"I'm inviting Karen tongiht to dinner..." I commented just to break the silence.

~She jumped back like she'd been stung and looked at me with her huge, brown eyes. "The girl from Mineral Town right?"

~"Yeah..." I winced as I thought how she was bringing Rick, her chicken raising boyfriend, with her.

~"Who all's coming to dinner at the Sundae Inn again?"

~"Star, you, Karen, Ricky, Owen, Cal, Mira, and Luke. I think Toby and Renee might come. They've really been hitting it off lately."

~"Cal's coming?" Her voice was suddenly estatic.

~"Yeah. Why?" A sly smile began to make its way across my face as I sat down next to my friend and let the breeze ruffle my hair.

~"He's so sweet..." She grinned at nothing a sweet, honey-like smile that made my stomach churn.

~"Too bad you guys aren't going together," I planted the suggestion in her freshly cultivated mind and heard the mooing of one of my new born calves.

~Her face looked stunned at the prospect, and she searched my eyes for any notion of a hint. Little did she know that I had been talking to Calvin about taking one of my friends' hands in marriage. He was very interested in the idea and always seemed interested in good ol' Silver.

~"Hey, Silver, have you heard anything from the mayor about...?" I trailed off unable to continue.

~"No... He hasn't said anything about his son. I'm sorry."

~I bit my bottom lip and didn't even care if I caught the biggest fish alive or farmed the grandest plot of land. I wanted a family and to settle down, but I was discontent with what I had; therefore, I wasn't going to stop there- at defeat. I didn't notice the darkening day until Silver looked up and back at me asking, "Let's go, Kiera."

~I shoved myself from the dirt and dusted off right before I grabbed my fishing poles and darted to my house up near the mine and the source of the Carmel River- Carmel Falls. My home was cozily located in the most accessible part of the whole island- in the crossroads of all the areas near the district. The town was a quick ten minute walk from my house as was the mine where I dug up artifacts with Cal and ores with Owen and Chole, Owen's younger sister and Ramsey's granddaughter. I frequently saw Toby and Renee walking hand and hand to Carmel Falls where they 'fished' the whole day and came back with small smiles and creeping blushes. Every time I saw it, it made me literally sick.

~I said my farewells to Silver and dashed inside. I rummaged through my wardrobe and only found a good sundress that had only been worn once to a ceremony honoring me and all my achievements as a farmer/savior of the town and whole island. It was specially designed by Shelly to exentuate certain qualities of mine and I decided to wear it after all this time of gathering dust. It was white and dark blue with a dark blue ribbon around the small waist. I scurried to my bathroom and combed my hair, which was a tangled mess at this point. After a long fight with my naturally wavy hair, I looked halfway decent. I walked outside my front door and cast a quick glance to my ostrich and looked away before I messed up my hair again by riding.

~My heart thudded as I walked alone down the dim, dirt path to the merry city of Waffle Town, but there was no one around to walk with, an odd relief in the bustle of the day's activities. Soft, loose dirt drifted up from my footfalls and dirtied my old, worn-out sandals. I finally reached the compacted dirt street in the main outlet of Waffle Town and the lights of the Inn/Bar were lit and dancing in celebration, but I tarried my immediate duty and walked down to the beach. I accedently kicked a fancy seashell and picked it up after looking around for a moment and slipped it in the well hidden pocket in my dress.

~A soft chuckle from behind me startled me. "Man, Kiera. You haven't changed at all..." The voice was deep and masculine as well as rich and smooth.

~I remained crouched over and slowly stood after a moment, never speaking. "C'mon, Kit, you _have_ to remember me..." It sounded more like a plea than anything else.

~"Gill..." It was barely anything more than a whisper and my heart pounded.

~"And this time, I'm back for good."


	2. Chapter 2

**Again... Writer's block is never your best friend and neither is lack of sleep, so here's the next chapter... Read and Review!**

Tides

~My heart pounded in my ears and I turned to face him. He certainly wasn't the same as before- a skinny, blond with a cowlick hairdo and an ego problem. He wore a softer expression and more decent clothes than his previous sweater-vest and man capris; instead, he wore full length khakis and a dark blue polo that matched my dress.

~"Your voice dropped," I giggled. Quite frankly, I couldn't help myself from saying such a thing, and I smiled at him in the moonlight.

~"It's a wonderful thing called puberty that I was a little late catching up to..." His smooth voice was dry but conveyed a sense of humor. "But what's going on lately?"

~"There's been a lot going on lately," I smiled again and felt my face get warm. "besides puberty..."

~"Oh, thanks." He laughed despite his discomfort with my being so straightforward.

~"So my father says that a lot of marriages have been going on in the town and... Um... Oh, I don't know... He wouldn't tell me who all got married but your name came up and I got curious."

~"Mayor always has had a way with you, Gill. He could get you to do just about anything he wanted because of your willing nature, but you went through that rebellious stage..."

~"Who doesn't at one point or another?" His joking tone was more hardened than before.

~"I know I did... That's why I came to the island in the first place- to prove my parents wrong."

~"That's exactly why I left here. Lots of things happened after the bringing back of the Harvest Goddess..." I waited for him to continue, but he never did.

~"Well, I'm severely late for a meeting with all my friends and people from Mineral Town, so do you want to come in with me and be my excuse?" I took a flying shot in the dark and my heart thudded again and again.

~A smug smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and lightened his features a considerable amount. "Are you asking me on a date?"

~My blood ran cold, but I said, "Yep, pretty much."

~He laughed that rich, smooth laugh and a shy smile creeped into my cheeks. Then, I thought about the awkwardness between the bartender's daughter, Karen, and Gill. The two went through a horrible breakup that not even the most horrendous people wouldn't wish on eachother. Kathy went to the Brownie Ranch to receive more than just horse-riding lessons from Mineral Town's Grey and broke poor, loyal Gill's heart. I had been around at the time, but he didn't trust me as a confidant at the time even though we were getting to know one another quite well. Then, after the island regained stabilization, Gill disappeared on Pascal's last visit to the mainland for the year. The next year he didn't come back either, and Mayor Hamilton was distraught over the loss of his only son. Now, he was back looking much more mature and quite a bit more handsome.

~"You know... I'm going to the Bar, and K-"

~"Yeah. I know," His response was quick and sharp like the edge of a knife. He relaxed a fraction of his posture and replied, "That's why I want to go in with you," He threw his arm around my bare shoulders. "like this."

~His large eyes gleamed in the clear moonlight and he smirked at me.

~"Wow," I commented. "Since when are we bosom buddies?" I giggled again.

~"Since now." He began to steer me towards the cobblestone roads of Waffle Town with a faint redness creeping into his cheeks as he trailed his hand from my shoulder to my hip and pulled me close in the swiftly approaching night. Warm silence filled the crisp spring air with the sounds of high tide crashing onto the beaches. The street lamps clicked on one by one and illuminated the roads while On The Hook's lights were still bright and glowing with shadows flickering across them. The only other store open was Sundae Inn and we even took our time getting there.

~Gill let his hand fall from my waist and opened the door wide to where we could hear everyone's chatter rise and bubble over into the quiet night. Like a vaccum in space, the clanging of pots and pans and coversation was sucked out of the room with the swing of the open door.

~A gasp preceeded a large intake of air as I stumbled through the doorway ever so clumsily and was followed by an extremely graceful, shaggy haired Gill. In the temporarily blinding light, I was able to see nearly all of the pleasing features of the prodigal son. He helped me straighten and lead me to an empty chair at the end of a very long table with all of my friends there and he pulled up his own next to mine. The instant I sat down, all the eyes boring into us snapped back to eachother and back to us; then, conversation ensued even louder than it had before. Moon winked at me and cast a dreamy glance at Owen with her wide golden eyes, and Silver did the same to Calvin who seemed trapped in Silver's spell. Toby and Renee even had a plate-load of food sitting in front of them both but they were too intertwined to even realize what was going on; Rick and Karen were feeding eachother with small blushes and goofy grins. Mirabella and Luke would occasionally glance at one another at the same time and quickly find something very interesting in their food while turning as red as a fresh radish. So there I was with Gill sitting awkwardly next to me looking around while love was filling the air.

~Kathy stormed over to our table and practically demanded Gill's and my order. Ironically enough, we ordered the same thing at the same time and simply looked at one another before laughing heartily. She stormed off again and pouted while she gathered our herbal tea and we just sat back watching all the others being quite... disturbingly affectionate. She came back and slammed our drinks down on the table and I pulled out my small wallet from my hidden pocket but Gill had already paid before I could even get out my money. I began to get suspicious of Kathy though, and while Gill was paying her, I switched our drinks just to make sure he wouldn't get sick if Kathy was that low down.

~I looked up at Gill over the rim of my cup and smiled shyly. "Well, this is awkward..."

~"You're telling me..." He returned my smile with one of his own that nearly blew me away. His bright eyes and shining teeth were stunning to say in the least.

~"Well, it seems that this whole thing was doomed from the beginning." I looked away sheepishly and he gave me a questioning look. "I kinda invited all the couples so they could... get together and just enjoy eachother. It seems that they _really_ are enjoying eachother."

~"I completely understand, but don't you have someone who's interested?" Slight shock came from the question.

~"Um... Not really," I lied even though there was more truth than lie in the statement.

~He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Well then, that's not all bad is it?"

~"I suppose not..." I grumbled. "It's just that-"

~Suddenly, Mayor Hamilton burst through the doors stopping me from completing my thought. "GILL!"

~"Oh, snap." He sighed sinking into his chair.

~The conversation stopped again for the second time that I knew of from the swinging open of the doors. "Gill, please come home. I'm so worried about you..."

~"Don't worry," Gill began with confidence that made me melt. "I'm home for good this time. I even have a reason to stay."

~The mayor looked at him with red rimmed eyes and flicked them over to me; Gill groaned and slapped his forehead before nodding and shooing his father out the door. "Kit, I'll catch up with you later on tonight... Is that okay?"

~"Um..." I was startled and taken aback by the question. "Sure...?"

~He gave me another lop-sided smile before darting out the door and giving me a wink, leaving me to try to remember how to breathe.


	3. Chapter 3

**Keep reading and reviewing :) I'm trying to overcome this block I have...**

**~Vi**

Bliss

~Moon, Silver, and Mirabelle immediately rushed over to my side when Gill walked out the brilliantly carved mahogany doors of the Sunday Inn and left their admirers in stunned awe.

~"He digs you," giggled Mira glancing back at her muscular, dark haired man who winked at her sheepishly.

~"Really he does!" chimed in Moon with her bass voice.

~Silver was suddenly overcome with a giggle fit and unleashed her bell like giggles to which I smiled and envied her carefree attitude. My stomach churned as I sat there with three pairs of eyes boring into me. Mira's sweet tea colored eyes gleamed as she looked mildly confused and Moon's golden, lion-like eyes glinted with curiosity, but Silver's giant chocolate orbs watched me carefully for any sign of discomfort while shining with joy. I grinned back at them all with high hopes of a second chance.

~I sat back and smiled at them all very smugly before saying, "Yeah, I think he digs me."

~With that, I sipped my tea and watched all the other couples until closing time where Toby and Renee said curt goodbyes and rushed off up the stairs of the Inn. I cringed for some unknown reason and apologized to Coleen and Jake for all the disturbance.

~Coleen just smiled warmly and replied, "You are very much welcome here any time. Don't feel like you have to apologize because when this happens is when we can actually get ahead on our bills..."

~Jake nodded vehemently. "We couldn't go on without all of you guys, so feel free to drop in and rent a room!" he winked and my cheeks got very hot very quickly, but I wasn't embarrassed in the least.

~I inclined my head and asked, "Do I need to help out before I go since everyone else left?"

~"Oh, no, dear!" shouted Coleen. "Kathy will help us! She needs to do some extra hours anyways or she won't get paid... She's been spending too much time away from here and over with that boy from Mineral Town..."

~I winced again but smiled uncertainly before leaving. I was beginning to feel very sick... My skin felt like it was on way too tight but I simply had to shove on through the palpable night. I began to feel lightheaded and my sight began to fade when I was nearly on my doorstep; then, a lead wall shut over my mind, allowing no action to be taken as I collapsed to the ground and heard a very frantic call to me.

* * *

~Dizzing dreams flooded me and I shot straight upright with sweat pouring off of me like someone forgot to turn off a faucet and my heart racing like I was being chased.

~"Kit!" came a call from what seemed so far away.

~Groggily, I looked around to find my house in perfect order and tried to remember how I got here... in my bed... in a _not _dress like I had worn earlier... A sole lamp lit my whole lower floor and I found a shaggy haired, young man straddling a backwards chair and stood up so abruptly that it knocked the chair slap over.

~"Oh, hey, Gill..." was my muttered, slurred reply; then the room spun so violently I doubled over the side of my bed and threw up.

~"I KNEW IT! You shouldn't have switched those drinks, Kiera!" he scolded and trailed off cursing himself for not switching them back. "I didn't think she was that cruel..."

~He darted over and instantly began cleaning up the remains of my partially digested food, which I found mortifying but couldn't react; I just flopped back onto my bed and groaned as my head pounded. Gill, ever so patiently, sat down next to me on my bed and I felt one of his strong hardworking hands on my forehead and closed my eyes blissfully. A small smile creeped onto my face and a little giggle escaped before I could control myself. I was acting more like I was twelve rather than a substantial twenty-one. Gill seemed not to mind as he trailed his hand from my forehead to my cheek and stroked it with his thumb.

~"You must be exhausted... Get some sleep, Kiera Annette Arabasque..."

~There were different kinds of butterflies fluttering around in my stomach when he called me by my whole name and I gave another small smile before darkness began to swallow my up in its kind embrace. Just before I lost all consciousness, I felt Gill's presence near mine even closer and I heard him whisper my name just before he kissed my forehead. Then, I fell asleep simply blissful.

* * *

~I woke up the next morning to a burning smell to which I hurled myself out of my bed and onto the cool, wooden floors and my head pounded from a drop in bloodpressure.

~"Oh, snap!" I yelped as I toppled over onto the floor.

~"Woah! Kiera! Are you okay?" Gill's voice was so warm and inviting first thing in the morning.

~I burst into laughter as I leaned my head back on the side of my bed and looked up at a very confused Gill. He didn't even wait for me to get up on my own before scooping me up in his arms and sitting down with me on his lap. I squinted at his blurry image as I began to recover from my accidental, mental moment and he pulled me into a warm embrace. "I was so worried about you last night... I came over at about one in the morning because I know you rarely sleep for more than an hour or two and I found you passed out on your doorstep."

~Suddenly with the change of topic, I sobered up rather quickly. "How did you know how to get in?"

~He gave an apologetic smile, "Erm... I kinda know where you keep the extra key to your door..."

~I threw my arms around him and kissed him repeatedly on the cheek to which he just sat there astounded by my sudden courage.

~"Look here, Blondie. I couldn't ask for a better guy friend than I have here." I threw my arms around his neck and I heard a whinnie from outside.

~"Oh, yeah... I fed all of your animals and tended to them for you... and watered your crops..." He held me tightly. "I even tried to make you breakfast, but that didn't turn out so well..."

~"I still love ya, blue-eyes..."

~My heart pounded hard against my ribcage like it wanted out and I felt his own throbbing on my own chest. _This is... perfect..._ I thought. And so it was.


	4. Chapter 4

**Keep reading and reviewing :) ... Again... :) Still with the writer's block...**

**~Vi**

What Preceeds Mourning

~His hands snatched back from my waist and he looked at me simply dumbfounded. His mouth gaped slightly and a small blush creeped into his cheeks as I smiled again and nuzzled into his chest and looked up at him through my right eye. "What is it, Blondie?" I giggled at my own pet name to him and felt my heart warm under his every touch.

~"Urm..." was his only reply as he scooped me up again and pressed his hot cheek to mine.

~He pinned me in his arms and my heart sped up even more than it had before. In barely more than a whisper, Gill nearly mouthed, "I've always loved you, Kit."

~Blood pounded in my ears and my senses hightened to the extreme to the point where I felt nearly every individual fiber in mine and his clothes. My breathing kicked up a notch after getting stuck in my throat and a firey chill ran down my spine. He freed one part of my waist and pulled his hand to my cheek and barely touched the bridge of his nose to my other cheekbone. I barely caught his soulful blue eyes before his pale eyelids covered them and I smelled his breath, so sweet and exilerating. (Then, I wondered what in the hell my breath smelled like this early in the morning.) I closed my own eyes in fear, in excitement, in hope and every nerve stood on end as I heard him take in a deep breath. Barely touching my own lips he brushed them and felt like he was getting more comfortable when, suddenly and much to _my_ despair, a loud knock came from the other side of my front door.

~"Damnit," he muttered still so close I felt his lips brush against mine.

~I giggled in response and he laid me back down in the bed; he held his index finger to his mouth and said, "Shh..." He smiled and tip-toed to the door. "Yeesss?"

~He winked at me and waited. "Who is this?" came the muffled reply.

~His eyes grew wide and dazed like he just remembered something traumatizing. He just looked at me in question of how to respond, and I smiled and mouthed 'boyfriend.' A grin, a ginuine grin, spread across his face nearly from ear to ear. "This is Kiera's new _boyfriend_."

~There was no response from the other side until several ticks of the clock later. "GILL!"

~A unanimous _gulp_ came from Gill and me as we knew all too well the voice of Mayor Hamilton.

~"Yessir?" Gill replied slowly.

~"Open. The. Door." The response was curt and chilling.

~I swung out of the bed and tried to fix my bed-head to which I nearly collapsed on the floor from the residual effects of the tainted and tampered tea. Feeling so useless, I flopped back on the bed and groaned as the door slowly swung inward revealing a beet-faced, portly mayor. Suddenly, this gurgurtural sound rose from my throat and I had just enough time to react and flee to the bathroom and throw up my guts. Over the disgusting sound of pure hydrochloric acid hitting the bottom of a bucket, I heard Hamilton demand, "Get outside now, Gill. No. I need to talk to you both..."

~"Dad! It's not what you think!"

~"I know."

~"Dad...?" I could tell by the sudden concern in his voice that something was terribly, terribly wrong.

~"Go help Kiera get lucid... I need to talk to you both..."

~I groaned and wiped my mouth again before dragging myself up groggily and washing my face off and my mouth out. I couldn't help but give a labored sigh as I trudged back onto the main floor where Gill rushed over and shoveled me up like I was merely a sack of potatoes. He sat down with me in his lap when he reached a dining room chair and looked up fearfully at his short father.

~"Sir...?" My question was slurred and showed my obvious lack of sleep.

~"Kiera... Gill... What happened last night?"

~I began to speak but Gill shot me a leathal glare and I silenced. "Kiera was poisoned."

~"But... It was supposed to be... I heard..." The mayor trailed off with a gaping stare and bloodshot eyes.

~"She switched our drinks becasue she was suspicious of what was going to happen if I did drink it..." Gill looked down at me with a softer stare. "If I had been the one to do it, then it wouldn't be so bad..."

~"That's... That's what I thought happened..." The rotund little man pulled out a hankerchief from his vest and wiped his eyes. "Kiera, you're a good woman; take good care of Gill..." He turned his grey eyes to his son who looked at his father very confused. "Gill, oh Gill... Your eyes are the same color as your mother's and your hair does that funny little thing like hers did... You take good, good care of Kiera... There's not a woman like her on the planet... Oh, Gill, she's so much like your mother..."

~Strong, stone-faced Gill wavered at the mention of his long gone mother and he looked at me with hurt apparent in his eyes. "Dad... What are you talking about...?" It was nearly a plea for him to quit.

~"I'm not going to live very much longer, Gill. You are the heir to my mayorhood and this girl is the savior of the island. Keep her, Gill."

~"No..." It was a gasp more than a saying, and suddenly, I was airborn and then felt a sharp pain in my back as I hit the floor. One second, I was sitting on what seemed to be my fiancee's lap and the next I was scraping myself up off the floor and watching my blonde angel run out the door.

~"Gill! Wait!" My voice was clear and strong and I stood without difficulty and ran, leaving poor Hamilton to sob in our wake.

~I heard my chickens cluck in protest and my calf moo in distaste as I saw Gill jump off the ledge of my farm and onto the path below where I sprinted after him without a second thought. He ran past my usual fishing spot and over the Carmel River's sole bridge. I began panting from residual fatigue of the poisoning and my vision blurred like the night before, but I shoved on in the bright, spring sunlight. I called out to him in a wheezing voice but no response came from the fleeing individual, so I continued to run after him and into the foothills of Waffle Town's only mountain. I usually would take the time to harvest the mushrooms and bamboo sprouts there, but I found Gill to be too much more important than any profit I made. I slowed to a stop and my vision fuzzed in and out to the point where I was so dizzy, I couldn't stand. I paused a minute or two and pushed myself to sprint all the way up the crooked path to Ganache Mountain Mine and across the tree root connecting one part of the path to the lead in to the Harvest Spring where the Mother Tree stood. I whimpered involuntarily as I dragged one foot in front of the other and my heart fluttered faintly in my chest like a trapped bird.

~"G-Gi-Gill..." I could barely sputter out that much to say.

~My whole body convulsed so violently at this point, I collapsed on the mossy ground, and the musty scent of dirt filled my nostrils. My eyes closed and I faintly heard a call out to me that didn't sound like Gill but like a female in distress. I fought to keep my eyes open but another lead wall closed over my mind and shut everything out.


	5. Chapter 5

**R&R!**

**~Vi**

Mourning

_Gill's PoV:_

~I couldn't believe it. It just wouldn't quit following me... _I was cursed with this stupid island,_ I thought as I sprinted from Kiera's farmhouse. _I was doing absolutely fine until Dad-_ I couldn't finish the thought and stuffed every emotion into a form of fuel tank that powered my fast sprint. I didn't know where I was going, and I didn't really care. I wanted away from all this death and doom, but I knew it would never happen as long as I was around. First my Mom and now this? I fought back the tears and pressed onward to the most sacred place I knew of on this forsaken island.

~I heard a faint buzzing as I continued onward up the mountainside and across the old tree root of the Mother Tree that connected one part of the path with the other like connecting two whole different worlds. I knew I could sit down with Kiera and discuss the liminal threshold we crossed every time we balanced over the root, but I was too devistated to even think straight. I stopped abruptly, dropped to my knees, held my head in my hands, and wept. I wept for everything- for the island, for the Mother Tree, for the Harvest Goddess, for my goddess- Kiera, for my long lost mother, my dying father, my dead grandmother, the unborn, the children, the animals who died, the crops that withered... everything...

~Then I heard a wail of mourning bells, or something that sounded like it, but instead of ringing out, the chiming was filled with tinkles of sobs. I turned very reluctantly to find a tall, blue haired woman with intricately looped hair and adornments all over her body with a wispy robe that was no describible color kneeling over a fallen girl- a fallen goddess. With another mourning bell wail, dark, heavy coulds collected overhead and rain burst forth like the gates of heaven were opened.

~"My _child_!" howled the wind and creaked the tree.

~I looked at the strange woman and fell again to my knees as she looked at me and seemed to stare into my very soul. A kindled spark seemed to light her eye with fury and she rushed over to me by swiftly drifting. She stuck her finger in my face repeatedly and said many words of a foreign language; then, she pointed at Kiera and my heart stopped. She wasn't moving.

~I now couldn't even focus on the English the woman was spatting at me; all I could see was the limp girl laying not five steps from me. Rain poured into the hole in the original base of the tree and soaked my hopefully unconcious love. I involuntarily stood and grabbed the fragile woman in front of me and looked directly into her firey eyes; she looked appalled as I dare lay my hands on her and I demanded, "She's alive."

~"YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED HER! YOU SELFISH, STUPID, SPOILED LITTLE BRAT! YOU KILLED THE ONLY HOPE YOU HAD LEFT IN THIS WORLD! I GAVE HER TO YOU, AND YOU _KILLED_ HER!"

~I couldn't speak. I couldn't breathe. I just stared at her... not believing this was real. I was just going to wake up from this dream soon.

~"There is no waking up, Gill. Kiera was all this world had to restore peace! It wasn't just on the island... The effects of the tree dying spread all over the world, and she saved it. Now, she's gone."

~A flash of lightning was followed by a crack of thunder. I opened my mouth and this groan of pure agony escaped instead of anything comprehensible, and when I did get ahold of myself, everything came out in a mushed mess. "Bring. Her... Back..."

~"What are you willing to relenquish?" The woman eyed me carefully.

~I walked over to my goddess and scooped her up, brushing her wet, auburn hair from her angelic, alabaster face. "My life."

~The woman drifted over to me. "Do you even know who I am?"

~My heart sank as realization came crashing down on me. "You're the Harvest Goddess..."

~"And I can make it happen." She smirked viciously and snapped her fingers to where an electric blue pulse radiaded.

~"I'll still give you my own life- my own soul- for you to restore her..." I placed my hand on her cheek where it lay earlier today, but now her face was cold and lifeless rather than hot and blushing.

~"That's why _you_ won't give your life. I'll take someone's that you know."

~"Wh-wh-what?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

~"I will restore her in exchange for a suffering soul. A soul that's been burdened with a sickness for far too long; Gill, you know what you have to do."

~"NO! He's- He's- He's the only family I have left!" I sputtered incoherently. She was going to take my dad's life in exchange for Kiera's becasue he was sick with something that couldn't be cured. "I have to do the more selfless thing, don't I?" I asked slowly with realization that my selfishness would take one life or another.

~"You don't have to do anything, Gill."

~I looked back down into Kiera's lifeless face and kissed her cold, wet forehead. "Do what you have to do. You know my answer."

~The Harvest Goddess looked down at us with her timeless face and azure eyes. She closed her eyes and sighed as she put the tips of her pulsating fingers together; a violent wind ripped through the cavern, howling in the partially enclosed area and creating a small tornadothat whipped around the room and settled right over Kiera's heart. A thick, electric blue spark jumped around fiercely before getting sucked into the vortex, and the tall woman finally opened her eyes after it all settled. "The deed is done. Go home to bury your dead."

~With another snap of her fingers, the Harvest Goddess sent us straight to Kiera's farmhouse door that swung wide as I barely touched it. I walked in soaking wet from all the rain and went to lay Kiera down on her bed even though we were both soaked. I sat down with her cold body in my arms and shivered from fear and from the cold; reluctantly, I placed her in her bed and walked over to the kitchen counter where I looked outside and whimpered at the angry sight atop the mountain. I hadn't seen a storm this violent since my mom died... Then, a different kind of cold creeped into my body- a cold of a loss- a chasm in my heart. My dad was dead. I was an orphan, and I wanted to blame the only person left in my life.

~I couldn't bare to do anything but go over to where Kiera lay and kiss her forehead again, which began to warm a considerable amount since she'd been laying there. I scarcely rustled her from her spot when she mumbled something that made me think she was awake, but I knew better. She continued mumbling then muttered, "Gill..." something, something, something, "I love you..." and she was quiet.

~I smiled sideways a smile that was of hurt and of happiness, and I laid down next to Kiera and fell asleep with her in my arms... protecting her from the rest of the world...


	6. Chapter 6

**Well... My internet went out as I was doing the original one of these so... I hope this is okay! ^_^' Reviews are verryyy much welcome :)**

**~Vi**

War and Peace

~I was having the strangest dream, but I knew I wasn't dreaming and that all the little fragments of thought were really pieces of my childhood strung together right up until I met my blonde haired, blue eyed angel.

~I sat in the kitchen with my mommy one morning in the early winter and sat there thinking that Mommy was just so pretty... She was the prettiest person I'd ever seen besides the Harvest Goddess but I'd only seen pictures and drawings of her... Mommy put a plate of bacon, my favorite, in front of me and walked off to wash her hands. We were talking and I as talking about how this mean girl came up to me the day before and pushed me into the dirt because my arms and legs were a different color than hers... I didn't know why Mommy got so sad when I told her. Things like this happened a lot to me.

~Daddy came through the door with his small blue eyes sparkling with something weird. My daddy was a teeny bit taller than my mommy, and he had black hair. I didn't look anything like him even though he was my daddy, but that was okay because Mommy told me that no two people are alike. I smiled at the thought of her making my lunch and telling me that.

~Daddy looked really mad when he saw me and pushed me off of my bar stool. Mommy didn't see because she turned around to do something, and I just got up without any help. He told me to get out while he talked to Mommy because I was too little to know. I listened and went out the kitchen door and tried to hear what they were saying.

~"I'm getting a promotion!" He talked loud when he was happy.

~"Well, that's wonderful!" Mommy said back.

~"All I have to do is go to war for the rest of the time our branch is over there and I'll have the job sewn up." I was puzzled because I didn't know you could sew a job. "Isn't this great? Now we can have enough money to buy a new house, move to a nicer place, send that brat off to boarding school-"

~Mommy stopped him with a strange loud reply. "I'm not abandoning my daughter."

~Daddy went right on like he didn't hear her. "Or maybe even you could go with me and we could fix things..."

~"This whole house is broken. There's no way I'm leaving my daughter here when she's only five years old. How will she fend for herself? How will she get parent figures? What will she do when we come back and she doesn't even know who we are and we don't know who she is?"

~"As if I give a damn about the rat. She's useless to me anyways. She's not mine."

~"Stop! She's fine the way she is! It's not like you were any less loyal first! She's the only thing in my life that has been loyal or faithful!"

~There was a loud smacking sound and Mommy started crying. "Listen to me, you whore, you're coming with me whether you like it or not, and as for the bastard child, I'll take care of it."

~I ran to my room as fast as I could hoping he wouldn't look for me there because no one wanted to mess with Daddy when he was mad. He would pick up anything he could find and beat you with it until you fell asleep or were bleeding real bad. If Daddy didn't find something to hit you with, he's hit you with his fist really hard in the face, and it hurt.

~"Get over here, you useless shitheap."

~I crawled out from under my bed and walked over to him slowly. He slapped me really really hard in the face. "I'm taking your mom with me, so you'll have nothing. Just like me, you understand? You understand me?"

~"Yessir..." I muttered and he hit me really hard a few more times; then punched me in the face and my nose was bleeding really really really badly.

~I ran to my bathroom and hid and cried.

* * *

~Seven years later:

~I sat down by myself at a lunch table alone again for what felt like the millionth time and looked around at all the happy kids hugging and talking, barely touching their food before throwing it away. I had no lunch to eat and noone to eat it with, so I just sat there like every day before then and stared at the table.

~"Um... Is anyone sitting here...?" a deep male voice asked.

~I looked up slightly shocked. "Are you blind or have you no feelings?" I snapped for the insenseitive question and stared back at the table before I could really tell what the kid looked like.

~"Urm... Well, I just see you sitting by yourself every day and you never talk, so I decided to come sit over here with you..."

~I was taken aback be the kindness and looked up from my point of focus to see a young man with wavy, earlobe length, black hair and chocolate brown eyes. My face got hot instantly and I looked down.

~"I'm Will."

~"I'm Kiera..."

~"Have an apple, you look hungry." With that, I smiled a rare smile and took a token of friendship.

* * *

~One year later:

~Will and I got to be very, very close friends over the next year and we talked every day and tried to get into eachother's classes, but he ended up being a little behind me in his acedemics. Through Will, I had made three other very good friends- Lillith, Ivory, and Catherine, but Catherine was more like my shrink who I went to for advice and entrusted my secrets with and vice vera.

~One day, our whole class went on a fieldtrip to a remote farm where we would be studying the botany, zoology, and Punnent squares of all genuses of things as well as tending to the crops and animals.

~The teacher seperated us into groups of four and I winced knowing I wouldn't ever get all of my... friends... She called out my name and I walked over to where she pointed and called Will's name to be in my group. My day just brightened four notches more than it had been. (We rode the bus together on the way down, but he seemed preoccupied with some nagging thought the whole way.) He laughed and ran over to where I was and was greeted by a high-five; we grinned even wider as the teacher called out Moon and Silver to be with us. All four of us laughed as Catherine got put in an 'all boy' group.

~The teacher handed us a To-Do list and we headed off on our way. "So we have to water the northern crops, harvest the western plot, milk the cows, and sheer the sheep."

~"Aww... That sounds like a lot of work..." whined Moon and Silver in unison.

~I laughed menacingly and looked at Will, who looked turned inward and warring with himself, before continuing. "For that, my loves, is why you two get to water and harvest alone."

~Silver stuck her tongue out at me before pulling Moon off into the northern direction. "That leaves us with the livestock."

~I started to walk in one direction and Will wandered in another direction. I smiled as his very intent eyes were coulded by some mental war and grabbed his hand. He looked up at me like I'd just gave him a great shock and turned bright red before walking with me, and I was too reluctant to let go of his hand not that he seemed to mind in the least. We go to the barn and remained silent as I swung into the doors to which we were greeted by adgitated moos. "I think we should milk the cows first... They're getting cranky."

~Will nodded in response and spotted me as I swung myself into the loft and threw down two metal pails and two, three-legged stools. He smiled up at me the most curious smile that filled my stomach with butterflies, but I cast this feeling aside and jumped down from the loft- landing in a bale of hay. I squealed in laughter as I jumped up and snagged the milking supplies. I plopped my stool down beside a very large, brown heffer, brushed her coat, and gave her a bit of sweet feed before sitting down and milking her. Will just looked at me dumbfounded and abruptly sat down on his milking pail to watch me.

~"How do you know how to do this?" He gaped.

~"I'm not really sure... I just _know_..."

~"Well..." He turned bright red and refused to continue until I'd milked three other cows the old fashioned way.

~"I've been doing some serious thinking..." He began and trailed off.

~"Did it hurt?" I smirked.

~"Ha. Ha. No." He stuck his tongue out at me and I felt my face get very hot so I looked away. "I was thinking... I like you... A _lot_... And wondered if you... wanted to... go out... with... me...?"

~I smiled greatly and knew I was red as a plum (I was a horrible blusher.) "One condition..."

~"Anything."

~"When we break up, can we still be the closest of friends?" My heart thudded so loud I could hardly hear the answer.

~"Is that a yes?" He grinned and jumped up, knocking over his pail and snatched me up in the biggest bear hug I'd ever recieved... Really, the first hug I'd ever recieved.

* * *

~A year plus later:

~Will and I had a horrible break up, but we were still very close friends. I was going through a horrendious depression, and I walked home one day to find news of my dad getting killed in war came in, but I didn't even care. Several guys ganged up regularly and beat me senseless then tried to take advantage of me or vice versa. Several times, they were successful... I constantly had nightmares about it.

~I woke up, went to school, came home, did my homework and went to sleep every day until I graduated. I went to a fine college and majored in English before finding news that my mom had shot herself in a depression much like my own. Now I was an orphan and alone.

~"William!" I yelled out to the young man who now worked in polotics.

~He whipped around and saw me. "Kiera!" He ran up to me and caught me in a wide embrace. "Give me your number so we can talk more often!"

~I whipped out my cell and programmed him in. I smiled then frowned. He put a hand to my forehead and I blushed. "You look nearly exactly the same, Kiera..."

~"I can say the same to you, Will."

~"Still blushing at my every touch, eh?" He laughed.

~"Yeah," I smirked. "Can't stop your heart from over reacting every time you see your ex."

~"Yeah! I know!" He laughed some more. "So what brings you to the Town Hall?"

~"Um... I'm leaving... for Waffle Town..." I rubbed my neck selfconciously.

~"Oh..." He sighed. "Well, um... okay... It was good to see you after all these years..."

~"Wait... Can we catch up for a while? I don't have to leave until the end of this week..."

~He smiled. "Of course."

~The week came to an end entirely too soon and I'd fallen for Will all over again, but kept to myself about it. He walked me to the dock where he handed me off to Pascal and stopped. "Um, Kiera...?"

~"Yeah, Will?"

~"Will I ever see you again?" He stuck his hands in his jeans pockets.

~"Most likely." I smiled at him hoping he would grin at me one more time like he did in the barn so long ago, and he did.

~"One more thing." He snatched me up in the biggest bear hug I'd ever been given... Like that eventful day so long ago. "Here..." He fumbled in his pockets and pulled out a locket. He latched it around my neck and smiled. "Don't forget me Kiera."

~I smiled trying not to cry at this point and boarded the boat where my life changed forever.

~I arrived to the small island hopeful that life here would be better, and I wouldn't have to worry about getting mugged every five seconds, and I was absolutely correct in that assessment. After a year of working on the farm and quickly restoring the area to its former glory by restoring the Harvest Tree, I met the most peculuar boy. He was my age and had platnum blonde hair with a goofy looking cowlick. He wore man-capris and a sweatervest to top it all off. He told me in a very curt tone that he was Gill, the mayor's son, and I was then determined to befriend this cold person. Little did I know what would become of me when we became friends and he left the island.

~I stood alone on the beach just thinking about him when I heard footsteps from behind. "Man, Kiera, you haven't changed at all..." Then, my life changed.


	7. Chapter 7

**um... Reviews...? hehe...**

**~Vi**

Pride and Prejudice

~I knew I lay there with Kiera in my arms, but everything was flooding back to me. I relived every painful moment until all my pain was relieved by my auburn haired goddess.

~"Mom, why is the sky blue?" I wondered looking up from our garden.

~She ruffled my hair and smiled. "It's the different rays from the sun being split to where we can see the color." She laughed and I smiled. "You're such a curious fellow."

~"Is that bad?" I asked slightly worried I bothered her.

~"Not at all, baby; now, hand me that lavender plant." Her blonde hair shined in the light from the sun. I loved my mom a lot.

~I handed her the plant and she got to work planting the flower that was my favorite. She got done and smiled at me greatly with her eyes shining. "You're just a smart little thing, aren't you?" She laughed again. "Well, I can blame myself for that. I've taught you as much as I can and let you read as much as you can understand." She sighed and seemed to get really sad. "I just wish I could do more..."

~"I love you, Mommy." I ran up and hugged her as tight as I could and never wanted to let go.

~She hugged me back. "I love you, too, Gilly."

~She got really pale all of a sudden from standing. "Oh, no. I don't feel well... I think I'm going to the clinic..."

~"Do you want me to go with you?" I asked really worried now.

~"No," her answer was firm and kind of mean, but I knew she was just trying to tell me it was nothing and for me to stay home.

~I nodded and went inside because the clinic was very close to our house. I made myself a tomato sandwich and sat in front of the empty fireplace with a book about leadership. I didn't know why I even bothered, but I wanted my dad to be proud of me when I would get to be mayor since he was never proud of me or didn't even care about me.

~About two hours later, I got really worried about Mommy, so I went outside and it had started raining. Not very far from our doorstep was a heap of clothes with almost white hair it was so blonde. "MOMMY!" I yelled suddenly frightened and she didn't move. I got really scared and tried to pull her up but she was really cold. I was trying not to cry and ran all the way to Town Hall and pushed the heavy doors open. Mrs. Yolanda saw me and suddenly got worried.

~"Mayor! Your son's here!"

~"DAD! SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH MOMMY!"

~"I'm sure she's fine..." He mumbled as he passed another paper under his eyes.

~"NO! She's cold and laying in the middle of the road and I can't move her!"

~He got really pale and jumped up. "Gill. Stay here."

* * *

~Three days later:

~I was dressed in all black and I tried not to cry as I walked up to the church alone. I was really, really mad and I didn't know why. I was mad at the Harvest Goddess, the other children, my dad, me, and even my mom because she left me with someone who didn't care. I held a bunch of lavender flowers in my hands for her grave because they were my favorite and hers too. I reached the church and the freshly dug grave, but I was late for the funeral because no one bothered to take me. I was at the end where everyone was crying and walking away when I was just getting there. I saw lots of people come up to me and say, "I feel so bad for your father." and walk away... No one even bothered to ask me if I was okay...

~I lay the flowers down on my Mommy's grave and walked away.

~I ran back home and ran to my room where I went in my bathroom and hid and cried.

* * *

~Seven years later:

~I sat down at lunch with my own food made and no one else around like it had been since I was very young. Everyone looked at me strange and looked back down at their food; they never cared about me anyways. I sighed and took out a book from my book bag. I pretended to read the words, but I never bothered because I was too busy thinking. I dressed differently than the others, I spoke different, I acted different, and I definitely carried myself different than everyone else.

~I sighed and took a bite of my apple I found laying outside my door.

* * *

~One year later:

~Kathy and I had been getting along rather well lately, and she constantly winked at me and gave me sly glances. I thought she might like me, but I didn't know what to do about that. After school one day, I walked up to her and demanded to know what her problem was.

~"Problem...?" She looked confused.

~"Are my words too big for you, blonde idiot?"

~"No! I like you, stupid!"

~"Oh..." I felt my face get hot and I looked down. "You know Owen likes you right?"

~"He does?" She grinned at the thought.

~"Yeah..." My heart sank.

~"Well, let him be jealous because I like you."

~I looked up and glanced at her before walking away.

* * *

~One year plus later:

~Kathy had me wrapped around her finger and I did everything she wanted me to all the time. I felt like her slave at times, but it was completely worth it. She had me running around doing things for her when I wasn't working at the Town Hall; she spent a lot of time at the Brownie Ranch getting horse riding tips from a boy from Mineral Town. I believed her completely and learned later that she was cheating on me and riding Grey instead of her horse the whole while.

~A new girl arrived to the island, but I made no effort to even bother with her because she was most likely like all the other girls- crazy, stupid, and mean. I avoided her like the plague and she finally asked me what my deal was. "I'm Gill, the mayor's son."

~"Well, I'm Kiera, and you better get used to me 'cause I'm not leaving this island."

~I instantly liked this girl and tried to be around her as much as possible, even though I was usually mean and cynical. Then, I watched her work one day while she tended to her tomatoes and noticed that she was really cute. She had midback length auburn hair and strange grey eyes that seemed to penetrate into my soul- not to mention she had a great personality and was really funny.

~For the longest time she acted really strange like she was keeping a secret; then, rainbows started appearing out of the blue. I thought it might have something to do with her and things started improving around the island, but I just had to leave. I was liking her way too much. My heart pounded every time I saw her, and I got weird feelings all over and in the most peculiar places. I forgot my name quite often and she didn't even seem to get phased when she was around except for once when she was working part time around the Town Hall. I accidentally grabbed the same book as her without looking and grabbed her hand instead of the book. She turned really red and muttered something about forgetting something and walked out without even getting her pay for the day.

~That afternoon, I walked to her house with her paycheck, a necklace, and a note inside that read:

_Kiera,_

_I'm leaving the island as I probably already told you... Um... I want to tell you how much you mean to me, but I don't know how to say it. So... I'm saying it. You mean the world to me, and I might come back- I might not... Thank you for everything you've done for me. You've restored my faith in people._

_With much love,_

_Gill_

~I told her the news- never making eye contact with her and walked away.

~"Gill, wait!" she yelled after a few moments. I turned back to see her running up to me and tackled me, giving me the only hug I'd ever received from anyone other than my mom. I hugged her back and walked away for a long time.

~I went to the nearest town and lived there for quite a while and met their main politician, William who asked me where I was from. We talked quite a bit about leading for years, and I ended up talking about a girl with midback length auburn hair. His eyes widened and he suddenly got teary eyed.

~"Kiera..." He gasped.

~"How do you know her?" I almost punched the man in the mouth.

~"I restored her faith in people."

~"I've got to get back to Waffle Town now." I shook my head.

~"Don't let her get away. I did..."

~Then, I got the next ferry home and arrived later in the day and night had fallen. I walked off the boat and thanked Pascal. I looked out over the familiar beaches and found a girl picking up a shell and stowing it in her dress's pocket. She looked up at the moon and I saw the angelic face of my goddess. I couldn't even move very fast, so I walked all the way over and spoke just loud enough to be heard over the waves. "Man, Kiera, you haven't changed at all..." And my life changed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Please review... lol... Reviews are like CANDY!**

**[[PS. (Just for Sethlover because she's too lazy to get on her fanfic account. To the rest of you disregard.) : Whisper! I swear! Just get on your account! I love you to death child, but for real man! Anywho, Will is... well he's William Bentley :P He said I could use him since we've been... talking :D OH! And you're Ivory/Moon lol]]**

**~Vi**

Waking up

~I woke up with someones arms wrapped around me and warmth spreading all over from the slightest movement from my captor. I made no effort to move, sighed contently, and contemplated my dream I'd just had. It was the oddest thing for me to dream of someone I hadn't seen in so long or even thought of for that matter; I reached up to my collarbone and let my hand drift across my skin, bumping into two chains I'd forgotten about they'd been part of my life so long. I fiddled with the pendant of one of them while I held the other in my palm. The one I was currently messing with was a little heart locket with an inscription in the back: _Learn to love, learn to forgive, learn to forget._I'd lived by that statement ever since I'd received the necklace, and my life ended up being pretty good. The other was a locket with a large sapphire in the center crested by diamonds and resting on silver. It had a pressed lavender flower inside with a blue feather inside; little did I know, there was great significance in the necklace and its contents. I never took either one of them off and sighed again as I dropped them back on my chest.

~I felt a shift beside me and a smalll groan. "Kiera, are you awake?" It was a soft, quiet whisper.

~"Yeah," I whispered back and my voice quivered.

~There was silence and the arms around me tightened; a warm cheek pressed against my neck and a sweet voice whispered in my ear. "I love you, Kiera. Don't you ever scare me like that again..."

~I turned to face him and was met with deep blue eyes. "What is it, Gill?" I frowned and furrowed my eyebrows.

~Ther I saw a face I hadn't seen in so long. His eyes were cold, his face was of stone, and his lips were drawn into a cold line.

~"Hamilton's dead."

~My heart stopped. "H-h-how?"

~He never responded and put his forehead to mine. He was overly warm and flushed; I frowned again and tried to look into his eyes, but they were closed. I wriggled out of his vice, threw an arm around of his neck, and kissed his forehead which nearly burned my skin. "Gill, you've got a fever." I closed my eyes.

~"That would explain a lot," he groaned. "I feel like hell warmed over, but I've got to go to my house... I've got to bury him, Kiera."

~I sighed and opened my eyes again. "I'll go with you, but let's have a proper funeral..."

~His eyes snapped open and appeared to be seeing things that weren't there then focused on me. They teared up and he quickly closed them. I nuzzled his face and looked at him saying, "You can cry, Gill... Everybody cries once and a while..."

~Suddenly, a great force was exerted on my whole body, and I found myself closely pressed against Gill's body hearing soft sobs into my hair. Every single nerve ending in my body was on edge and tingling with the greatest sensation, but I pushed a racy thought aside and wrapped my arms around the distressed young man. I attempted to calm him, but found no point after a while and cried with him; this was going to be a very hard time...

* * *

~Three days later and Gill refused to leave my house even though the townspeople had begun to talk about our closeness. I woke up early the morning of the funeral and worried about Gill as I wandered over to my wardrobe and pulled out a simple, black dress Shelly made for me just a day ago. Gill still had a high fever, and he hadn't gone to work in the last couple of days, which left Elli to scrounge up someone to work there while Gill was out of commission; luckily, Yolanda and Coleen were more than willing to help out.

~I boiled myself a pot of tea and poured myself a cup. I sat there in the dark, sipping my tea and staring at a knot in my pine table. Sighing, I got up, got dressed as quietly as possible, and tip-toed out of the house. I looked out over the fields and saw the stars meet the ocean. There was no sound at this time of morning because the sun was a good three hours from rising. I walked all the way into town and through the streets to Gill's house where I stopped in front of the door before hesitating to put my hand on the knob. I was eventually strong enough to push open the unlocked door and wandered in reluctantly. I went straight past the couch and the fireplace to the stairwell and looked down at the empty room. I shuddered and went straight to Gill's immaculate room. It wasn't hard to find his closet and his dark suits reserved mainly for winter, but in the back, I found a nice, sleek suit next to a long, flowing, sapphire blue dress. I stared at it for the longest time and picked both of them up.

~After rushing to my house, I checked on Gill frequently during the rest of the long hours until the first rays of light entered my home. I gave up at this point and fell asleep in the chair I was sitting in for just a few minutes and was jolted awake by a chirping outside my window.

~_Stupid bird..._I thought and sighed. I looked around and saw the dress, the dark blue, satin dress, sitting on my kitchen table and curiosity got the best of me finally. Gill was now snoring very softly and, as not to wake him, I moved quickly and quietly. I darted across the room, snagged the dress, and ran into the empty, spare room. I stripped down to my underwear and unzipped the dress; slipping it on, I was shocked that it was exactly my size and hugged my figure perfectly. I walked over to my mirror and stared open-mouthed.

~I'd thrown my hair into a low ponytail and let it flow over my right shoulder, which accented the sleeves of the dress dropping off my shoulders and resting mid-bicep. The dress's color showed off my pale skin and grey eyes framed with long lashes and arched eyebrows; it also extenuated my small waist and short stature by tapering around the hip area and hugging my thighs all the way to my knee where it had a slit up one side and flowed a little more loosely all the way to my ankle. The color of the dress also perfectly matched the sapphire in my necklace and fitted perfectly with everything.

~I just stared in awe and was interrupted by a heavy sigh and a little whimper. I abruptly turned from my reflection and glared at a figure in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

~"My mother wore that."

~My heart sank and I began to say something but was cut off by Gill drifting over to me in his black suit and holding me captive with his deep sapphire eyes. His expression and demeaner was so soft and kind, it melted my heart. He placed a hand on my cheek and the other he wrapped around my waist. A shy smile formed on his delicate pink lips and he closed his eyes, which urged me to do the same. My heart fluttered around violently and I sighed as he leaned down to place his forehead on mine. His face was dangerously close to mine and I wanted to just kiss him then and there. I didn't even care who was watching.

~"You're perfect..." he whispered and leaned in to kiss me.

~_Bam! Bam! Bam!_

~"FOR THE LOVE OF THE HARVEST GODDESS!" I yelled in exasperation as we both jumped back from the noise. "I'M _SO_ GOING TO KILL SOMEBODY IF THAT HAPPENS AGAIN!"

~Gill laughed quietly and kissed my cheek, "We're going to have a long time to kiss later."

~I pouted and he answered the door to Yolanda standing there somewhat surprised.

~"Oh! Um.. Gill? Why are you here...?" She stumbled over her words slightly confused.

~"Because I'm the mayor and I can be wherever I want to be," His voice held a very official tone, but I knew he was only kidding.

~I rushed off to the bathroom to slip into my black dress and smiled as I fit into it perfectly. _Good old Shelly._

_

* * *

_

~After the extremely painful funeral, Gill looked aloof and unphased. I could see him withdrawing from everyone else and into his shell that I had to break him out of, and it looked like Will was right after all these years. He told me once that loving someone so much that it hurt was the only way to break someone out of their own prison, and I was going to love Gill for the rest of my life. That, I was certain.


	9. Chapter 9

**Well, I'm only going to be able to update once a week now until around Christmas... ^_^' But PLEASE REVIEW! I'M DYING FROM THE LACK THEREOF! lol... But seriously... Sorry it's a short chapter, but it's sad and cute :)...**

**~Vi**

Breaking Down, Breaking Out

~Gill went back to work and continued to worry me with his nonchalant attitude towards everything. I tried to be affectionate without being up his butt; however, it wasn't received at all.

~It was now in the dying days of summer and felt more like fall, and I yawned as I rolled out of bed, slightly later than usual. I went out to my chicken coop first thing, harvested all the eggs, called my animals out to the field, and tended to them as well as my crops. I had an unusual quick first flush for my tomatoes; I grinned as they were all of shining quality and rushed inside. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and began working on fixing something I knew Gill couldn't resist- tomato rissoto. I tried to use all shining quality ingredients and was successful in doing so. Soon enough, the concoction was ready to be taken out of the oven and eaten. I took out the dish and rummaged in my closet for some plastic wrap; upon finding some, I wrapped up the food and stuffed it in my rucksack. I jumped on Molly, my ostrich, and darted off into town. I immediately went to the Town Hall just knowing that Gill would be sitting there working on documents and other 'mayorly' things.

~I walked in with a smile that quickly faded. There was Gill pinned to the wall by Kathy and Selena, and Kathy was really, really close. I was sick of these bitches. She'd made my life a living hell for years on end and ruined Gill's trust. I pulled my axe out of my rucksack (Don't ask me how I got it in there. It's was a pain.) and walked up noisily behind her with axe in hand.

~Kathy turned when Selena drained of color. "May I help you?" I asked in unadulterated rage.

~"You wanna go, Kiera? You wanna go?" She threatened.

~I tapped the handle of my axe and she paled. "Do _you_ wanna go, bitch?"

~Gill's head snapped up at my crude language, but I didn't care. I was so sick and damn tired of getting shoved out of the way.

~"C'mon Selena. Let's get out of here."

~Not two seconds later, the two women rushed out of the Hall.

~Gill was still white as a sheet. "Gill...?"

* * *

~_Why me?_ I asked mentally as Kathy came in, followed by Selena, but I pretended not to notice. Elli wasn't there because it was her off day and I started to worry about the two just sauntering in for no reason.

~I heard a click and saw Selena shut the blinds of the door from my peripheral vision. _Oh, shit._

~"You're mine, baby," purred Kathy seducively.

~I jumped up and remembered how strong Kathy and Selena. I may have worked out and been quite strong, but those two, despite their size, were brawlers. I knew Kathy had to be strong because she worked in a bar, and Selena was a dancer so she had to be able to take care of herself.

~About thirty minutes later, I was petrified by the things Kathy had done to me, and I knew my face was flushed and sweaty from so many mixed feelings and struggling. Kathy got near to me and grinned devilishly. "You know you like it."

~I gulped not knowing what she was going to do; then, my angel, my savior burst through the doors. She deftly pulled out a very large axe from her rucksack. _How in the hell did she do that?_ I decided not to ask.

~Kathy seemed not to notice but Selena did. Kiera, usually very clumsy and noisy, quietly walked up behind Kathy and asked practically spitting venom, "May I help you?"

~Kathy spun on her heels and got suddenly angry. "You wanna go, Kiera? You wanna go?"

~Kiera all of a sudden frightened me as her face darkened and a very pissed off look overwhelmed her. She tapped the handlef her axe. "Do _you_ wanna go, bitch?"

~My head snapped up. I'd never heard her say anything like that.

~"C'mon Selena. Let's get out of here."

~They left without another word and I felt faint. I was terrified. What I had just experienced was the most horrifying thing I'd ever gone through.

~"Gill...?" Kit asked with outright concern.

~I just couldn't respond. I was too scared and too embarrassed.

* * *

~I didn't even ask Gill what was wrong because he looked sick, and I didn't want to make that worse. I forgot all about the food in my rucksack and worried about soley him.

~He slumped down against the wall and winced as he hit the floor.

~"Gill? Okay... You're really worrying me."

~He looked up and me and his face got flushed. He looked away very quickly and refused to make eye contact with me again.

~I sat down next to him and threw my arm around him. "You don't have to talk, but I'm here if you need me..."

~I felt him shiver under my arm, and I looked at him to find him shedding silent tears. "Kit..." he whimpered, pulled me onto his lap, and cried into my hair.

~I was stupified and just held onto him while he continued to sob. "Kit... You have no idea what just happened."

~"I don't have to know, love... I don't have to know..."

~He pulled away from me and stared deep into my eyes, searching for something... "They... took advantage of me, Kit..."

~I was suddenly filled with inexorable rage. "I'm going to kill those damn bitches!"

~Then, I was the one who cried. Tears just bubbled up from being held back for so long because I _knew_ his pain. I _knew_ his embarrassment. I'd _felt_ the same thing and _no one_ should have had to deal with that.

~This time, Gill was the one who held me together while I sobbed for a good solid thirty minutes. "What is it, babe?"

~I cried even harder for a minute or two before I was coherent. "I-I-I know h-how i-i-it f-f-f-feels-s..."

~His face fell and his heart pounded under my hands. "Why didn't you tell me...?"

~"I-it was-s a long t-t-time ago..."

~"Nothing like that is ever going to happen again, Kit..." he whispered after a moment.

~"I wo-won't let anything happen to y-you either, G-Gill..."

~We sat there in pain for a while and finally looked at eachother's tearstained faces. "I brought you food, but..."

~"You think it's still good?"

~"Yeah..." was my only reply and I dragged out the dish from my rucksack.

~"For the love of the goddess... How much can a woman fit into her purse?"

~I smiled shyly and my heart fluttered. "A lot." Then, my smile fell. "Damnit! I forgot the forks!"

~He laughed heartily and smiled at me with that adorable crooked smile. "C'mon... I wanna go somewhere..."

~I looked perplexed for only a second before he snatched me up like a small child and carried me all the way to the far end of the Brownie Ranch District. We sat there smiling at one another while the sun began to set and cast its golden rays on eachother's faces. Gill's blue eyes sparkled like the ocean gleaming in the dying light below. A cool breeze ruffled my hair and he wiped the strand from my eyes. I closed my eyes and smiled. Before I could open them again, I felt slight pressure on my lips and realized I was being kissed... I sat there only a moment before I collected all the marbles rolling around in my head knocked loose by the initial shock of waht was happening, and I kissed him back. It was a sweet, delicate kiss and we finally pulled away, blushing and grinning.


	10. Chapter 10

**Here we go again! ... Review! And yes, that does mean you who's hiding over there. Don't be shy. :P**

**~Vi**

Everything Turned Upside Down

~Our smiles never seemed to dim even as a light rain came pouring down from a quickly clouding sky. We shyly held hands- my very small one clasped in his large, strong one- and walked to my house as our clothes were beginning to cling to our bodies with moisture. His eyes were suddenly overly bright as they appraised my closely clad bodice. I flushed and looked away from him in slight shame.

~"Oh... Um... I'm sorry... I just... You're beautiful..." He blushed madly and I smiled uncertainly. This was just strange for him to be acting this way.

~I giggled for a second as we reached the threshold of my house and he resleased my hand reluctantly. "I... Have some things to think about concerning a visitor... who made resverations on the island for... something..." His voice held little distress and he looked at me. "Can I trust you to stay out of trouble?"

~"Never." I grinned widely and he pulled me up to his chest with my head tilted up to face him.

~"I mean it." His face was coulded and serious, his lips drawn into a thin line and brows furrowed. "I'm going to my house so the town will shut the hell up, and there _will_ be a new guest here so I don't want you to be drawn in by him. I'm afraid for you."

~"Um... Okay then. I'll stay up north of the island..." His concern worried me. Who was coming that made him so upset?

~"Be safe." I tilted my head up to look at him, and he gently pressed his forehead against mine.

~"Don't worry so much." He held my head up and kissed me gently once more before seeing me inside the house. I waved and he walked off slouching in the rain.

~I watched him with uncertainty and sighed. He confused me so much. How could anyone love a man like that with his mood swings and tragedies? Somehow, I managed to do it and be sincere in my irrevocable love. I turned, closed the door, and was met with the piercing ring of my phone. I walked over and answered, "Hello?"

~"KIERA! WE ARE SO COMING OVER!" It was the unmistakable voice of Silver and Ivory with a giggling Mira behind them. "BE PREPARED!"

_~*Click*_

~I frowned a very 'Gill' frown and sat down in a chair. Those girls were coming to eat all of my food and ask if Gill and I had been... Oh, I couldn't even finish the thought without blushing terribly. Not five minutes later my door swung wide open and there stood three panting girls with large grins. I was standing over a frying pan filled with frying bananas and just pulled out a blueberry cocktail for me and hot chocolate for my girls.

~"KIERA!"

~"Hey, guys. Fried fruit anyone?" I smiled as they piled through the door all at once and nodded vehemently. All my food was gone at once and they were headed to my cabnents before I nearly shouted, "So why did you guys want to come here?"

~They seized the question like hungry vultures on a carcass. Moon spoke up first. "We have noticed, along with the town, that a certain boy by the name of Gill has been having frequent sleepovers at a certain Kiera's house." She winked devilishly.

~Silver grinned with her shiny teeth and asked bluntly, "So have you guys been having fun together?"

~I brushed off the comment by replying, "Yeah, he's a great guy."

~Mira nudged me with a grin. "Oh, come _on_, you know what we mean. We mean, have you guys been having _fun_?"

~A great heat washed over my whole body and creeped up my neck and into my face. "No," I replied defensively.

~They all burst into giggles. "We figured since you're such a good girl and he's such a good boy."

~I really needed a drink and took a sip letting the alcohol warm me up. "Yeah, we've just really been living together. It's not so _wrong_ for him to live with me is it?"

~They all exchanged glances and died laughing for no reason it seemed. "Kiera, dear," began Silver with shiny tears of laughter in her eyes. "It really looks _wrong_ if you two aren't married and in the same house."

~"Well... Well..." A switch in my brain flipped. "You and Cal don't live together, but I'm nearly certain that you two are having a bit of fun. Not to mention Moon and Owen and Mira and Luke."

~Each of their mouths hung wide, unhinged. "No you didn't."

~"Yes, yes I did." I stuck my tongue out and they all turned the color of a spicy pepper.

~Then, we all burst out in laughter until my sides burned and lungs ached for air. "Wow guys." I managed to get out between giggles.

~We all straightened out a little and stood stretching our sore sides. Unexpectedly, Moon shouted out, "GUESS WHO'S ON THE ISLAND!"

~I jumped back a little, but it wasn't odd for Moon to behave in such a way. "Who?" I asked yawning.

~"WILLIAM! We called him and invited him to come over to the island."

~I stopped mid-yawn and ice filled my veins. That's what was wrong with Gill.

~"Why do you look like that? I thought you'd be happy!"

~"Oh, no..." Everything went black.

* * *

~_Gill's PoV:_

~_I can't believe this..._ I wanted to yell at everyone and everything. There was just no reason for the mayor of Next To Nowhere to come over and speak with me, but I didn't think it was to see me at all. He better stay away from Kiera. I entered my eerily silent house with darkness shrouding every single thing in there. There was no cheery fire roaring in the fireplace, no other living thing in there, and certainly no Kiera smiling and going about her business.

~I sighed and trudged up to my room, looking for some decent clothing to change into so I could greet the mayor properly.

~_"Well, how do you do, sir? What might your name be?"_

_~"Oh, I'm just fine. My name is Mayor So-And-So. What a beautiful island you have here, Mayor."_

_~"Thank you, Mayor. What brings you here?"_

_~"Oh, nothing... To steal your bride-to-be is all."_

~I winced as I thought of our mayorly discussion and shook the thought with the shake of my head. I pulled out a blue suit with a white shirt and blue tie and sighed. This was going to suck.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sing once again with me our strange duet; my power over you grows stronger yet :) In other words, I hope I have your attention with this story... again.. I HOPE. So... review for me will ya? :D**

**~Vi**

Tourniquet

~A shrouded feeling of something genly stabbing me in the side woke me from a deep slumber, and I awoke with the feeling growing in pain.

~"Owww..." I groaned feeling my head pounding. Too much cocktail...

~"Kiera? Are you awake?" It was the gentle voice of Silver.

~"Get up you lazy bum." It took me only a second to know the tone of Moon.

~I moaned again before rolling over on my hardwood floor and looking up at my white ceiling. "Whahappen?" My tongue felt nearly paralyzed and dipped in novicane.

~"You passed out like seeing Will was a bad thing."

~I instantly got dizzy again when Moon ever so excitedly reminded me of that which I certainly did not want to hear. This was going to be hell on earth. Little black spots rose up in my vision and soon blotted out my sight, leaving me rendered helpless and semi-concious to ponder and relive all of my experiences with the boy I'd once loved so long ago-

____

~_"Hey, Kit?" The brown haired boy asks with a look of concentration on his face._

_~"Yeah, Will?" The auburn haired girl raises an eyebrow._

_~"Do you think that someday you'll ever marry me?" He looks at her and stares into her soul._

_~"Maybe... But let's not get ahead of ourselves... We're young, dumb, and still full to come." She cringes. She has problems with commitment._

_~"True, but I know one thing." He nears her._

_~"And that is?" She pulls away from his closeness._

_~"I want to spend the rest of eternity with you." The brown eyed boy leans in to steal the first kiss-_

_

* * *

_

~Gill's PoV:

~I walked out to the pier just waiting on Pascal to return with the ferry and an unwelcomed visitor. I reached up and smoothed my hair down from the rain splattering on my head. Sighing, I put up the best 'Gill' fascade I could, which, after so long of being truly happy, was hard to do. The classic scowl seemed so out of place as well as the rigid disposition he'd worn so well not that long ago. Why was all of this so hard now? My stomach was suddenly filled with unwanted butterflies. _I was perfectly well off before but somewhat of an asshole... Then, Kiera steals my heart... I should ask her to m-_

~Pascal's beloved fog-horn announced their arrival and caused me to jump nearly to the moon and back. This time, scowling and retaining an anal look about me wasn't so hard.

~A young man then walked down the gangplank, laughing and jesting with Pascal who obviously enjoyed the man. He wore a black suit that wasn't the most expensive thing I'd ever seen, but wasn't too shabby either. He wore a regular white t-shirt beneath his coat, and his curly and wavy brown hair hung to his shoulders. This was deffinitely _not_ what I was expecting from a mayor. I was expecting something like my father, I suppose- a short, rotund man with rosy cheeks and deep pockets- not a male just out of his teens with bulging muscles and long hair. I relaxed a little when I saw him, but another part of me panicked. This was the kind of guy Kiera displayed great affection for.

~"Hi!" he said smiling and showing all of his pearly white teeth.

~"Hey, why don't we go somewhere a little warmer? And dryer?" I replied softening even more.

~"Sounds great!"

~We hustled down the road to the Sundae Inn, and he shook his long locks like a dog coming in from the rain. My longer hair was dripping down onto my suit and I frowned a little at our similarities. We were both strongly built, had longer hair, and many other things that made me cringe, but he had something that I certainly didn't. He was laidback and carefree; whereas, I was rigid and stoic.

~Still smiling, he stuck out his hand in an offer to introduce himself, which I accepted graciously. "I'm Will."

~Ice filled my veins and firey rage chased the frozen parts of me. My grip tightened on his hand. "I'm Gill."

~He winced a little and released my hand to escape my death grip. "Colleen, would you get something for the Mayor? Something warm perhaps?"

~"Just call me Will," He flashed that wide grin and Colleen smiled back.

~"What'll you have, sir?"

~He chuckled. "Um... Do you have some steak?"

~"Of course," she smiled again. "It'll be right out. And for you, Gill?"

~"I need some water. That's it."

~"Yes, sir."

~After Colleen left, I began trying to make conversation with my new found rival. "What brings you to Waffle Town, Will?"

~He propped his chin in his hand and elbow on the corner of the table. His eyes seemed to be looking at something over my head and I just waited. "You could call it personal buisness..."

~"Ah..." I decided not to pry further for fear that I would uncover a secret I had no wish to hear.

~"I just hope I'm not stealing anyone's bride-to-be..." he said, released his chin, and began twirling a strand of his hair close to the roots. The gesture nearly made me lose it then.

~Colleen walked in with the biggest steak I think I'd ever seen her give a customer and set my water down. "Actually, Colleen, can I have a blueberry cocktail?"

~"You have liquor here? Let me in on this!"

~I sighed. "Make that a bottle of rum..."

~"Make it two! And a bottle of vodka if you have it!"

* * *

~_Kiera's PoV:_

~_She pulls away and begins to cry. She doesn't want to break his heart, but she can't kiss him._

_~Everything goes black, and an older version of the two children are there- the girl laying on the boy's chest watching a large screen and the boy twirling her hair with one hand and another over her heart which beats rapidly._

_~"You're going to have a heart attack," he whispers in her ear causing her heart to race faster. He chuckles._

_~She looks up at him and pushes herself closer to him. She's driven mad by him. Their faces touch, and she reaches to touch his lips. He pulls away looking sad but chuckling lightly. "Not today, Kit."_

_~"You mean 'Not ever,'" she sighs and drops back down._

_~He'll never get to kiss her._

~I opened my eyes to a different white ceiling than that of my house. "Where am I?"

~Nausea flooded me as I realized I was in the Clinic and moreso the bits of my dreams fitted together making a picture of anguish. Unable to help myself, I threw up in the nearest trash can. Jin and Anessia walked in with troubled looks.

~"Are you feeling any better?" Anessia asked me and bit her lip.

~"Does feeling like getting trampled by a horse count as better?"

~"No," was Jin's curt reply. "You need to stay away from things that are causing stress. Your fainting spells are getting worse."

~"Thanks, Jin." I swung my legs over the side of the bed. "Will do."

~"Another bit of advice-"

~"Yes?"

~"Lay off the drinking if you're expecting."

~I flushed. No wonder the girls were telling me to be careful. "I'm not."

~"Okay then." He went back to observing his papers and I walked out unsteadily.

~Anessia caught my arm before I toppled over. "Kiera, I want to talk to you."

~"Um... Okay?" We walked up the stairs to a vacant room and she looked around anxiously.

~"I'm pregnant."

~"That's wonderful!" I grinned genuinely happy for her.

~"Jin doesn't know though..." She bit her lip.

~I winked at her. "Just have a little fainting spell and he'll be all over you."

~She released her hold on her lower lip, smiled, and embraced me in a hug. "Kiera," she started uncertainly. "You really do have to stay calm... You're going to have a heart attack if you don't, and if that doesn't happen, your respiratory system will shut down, then you'll go into cardiac arrest. You're weaker than you think."

~I stared at her wide eyed. "Really?"

~"You were dreaming and talking in your sleep about someone taking you and you flatlined. I panicked and Jin came in thinking you died, but you jumped back online a few seconds later."

~A loud thump came from my thin chest. "Can I stay up on your parents' farm for a little while?"

~She shook her head in shame. "Taylor's back and they won't let anyone around. Just be careful."

~"Um... okay..." I sighed and walked down the stairs, headed to the Inn. I needed a drink stronger than a cocktail.

~Walking to the Inn was beginning to be no fun although it wasn't a hundred feet from the Clinic, but the rain began to pour and I shook madly. The shaking wasn't from the cold bite of the rain or the slight tremor I'd developed several years prior, but from the fear of something so slight could kill me. I was angry on top of all of that. I was angry at myself, Gill, Will, the Harvest Goddess, the Sprites, Pascal, the boys who raped me, Selena and Kathy- you name it, I was mad at it.

~I burst through the doors of the Inn with slightly more force than necessary, and I heard a squeal from Maya and Mira and a deeper yelp from Luke and Chase.

~"Yo, Kiera! Where's the fire?" Luke guffawed.

~"If it was up your ass, you'd know," I fumed and abrely heard his laughter as I walked up to Chase pointing an accusitory finger up at him. "Where's the rum?"

~"It's gone...?" He raised an eyebrow and put out his hands in confusion.

~I groaned and collapsed onto my knees. "Why is the rum always gone?"

~Mira snickered and Maya looked around confused.

~"KIERA!" two voices cried in unison but both were slurred with liquor.

~I turned from my prone position on the floor and saw two men now beginning to get in a brawl. One's shaggy, blonde hair just drifted over his eyebrows and framed ocean blue eyes; the other's shoulder length, dark brown, curly hair swept just over his chocolate eyes.

~"Will? Gill?" I was now thoroughly confused. I launched myself up and between the two as a second swing came around and narrowly missed me. "STOP!" Instantly, the fight ceased.

~ A pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist and the strong smell of rum rushed into my face. It was fresh and sweet to my frazzled nerves. I burried my head in my captor's chest and heard a faint _thump_ before a few soft words came.

~"Kiera... I've always loved you..." Will's broken voice pierced into my heart.

~Tears stung my eyes and I nuzzled my face closer to the chest of my holder. My heart was irretreveably torn to shreds and giving up. I made no effort to pull away from Gill and placed my ear on his heart which beat spazmatically and quickly.

~I finally found the words to speak when Gill's heartbeats grew softer and less strained. "I'm not here, Will. I never have been. I was never yours..."

~A soft sob came from him and I walked out with Gill, never looking back, like the night he left me and never looked back.


	12. Chapter 12

**Lalalala... Celebratory chapter updates! No more exams! So gimme celebratory reviews... even though it's a short chapter! (WARNING: FLUFFY CHAPTER.)**

**~Violetta :)**

Erased

~Gill was silent as I dragged him from the Inn by his hand. I pulled him through the pouring rain to Goddess knows where, but my softer side caught me before I could be strong enough to get where I was going. Silent tears fell from my eyes, unrestrained. My heart had just been stabbed thrity-seven times, cut into little pieces, and thrown in a fire. Without the one who broke my heart, I would be alone now without Gill (who I'd almost forgotten about) and most likely not even on the island... maybe even six feet under... I had to move on and so did he; although, I had moved on... it was he who hadn't. He was now erased. I had _loved_ him in the past, but Gill was now and the future. I had been dragging a corpse around in the desert handcuffed to me for too long now.

~A murmer behind me caused me to sniff and actually look at where I was. I was halfway up the mountain and crossing over the log. I looked back at Gill whose face was tear stained, but I could see no tears except the ones forming in his ocean eyes. I looked away and pulled him a little further into the hollow where the Mother Tree stood. We stood completely soaked sheltered under its branches. He had a bewildered look cross his face only a second before he tackled me into the moss under the tree.

~I groaned a little from his weight on top of me. I opened my eyes to see his were shut, and not a second later, his lips came down on mine causing me to have a sharp intake of breath from shock. He took that as an invitation to continue and go further by pressing the hand under my back closer to him and letting his lips part. I reeled back in my mind thinking of how wrong it was, but how wonderful it was outweighed any other aspect. I quit resisting and gave in to my desires.

* * *

~_Goddess's PoV:_

~"Goddess!" Edge came crying, as usual, but it bothered me not. He was one of my most faithful sprites.

~"Yes, Edge?" I looked down at the little purple sprite with tears rolling from his huge eyes.

~"The- *hiccup* The two... They... Waaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

~I scooped up the poor little sprite and looked into his eyes. "They aren't doing anything outside of my law or the Harvest God's law. They are simply showing their affections for eachother in a time of distress."

~"B-But, Goddess..."

~"Worry not, Edge. Or does it confuse you?" He was often confused by human affections as were the others.

~"I-I don't u-u-understand..."

~I smiled. Ah, how ignorance is bliss... "They are keeping within physical boundries, right Edge?"

~"Yes, budum..."

~"They love eachother, right?"

~"Yessum..." He paused for a while before replying to his own question, "Oh..." Another confused look crossed his face.

~I laughed a little. "My, Edge, you've never been this concerned over a little girl and her boy."

* * *

~_Kiera's PoV:_

~My face was flushed and I was panting from lack of oxygen. Gill had kissed me sweetly once before, but this was something else... I liked it. He kissed my neck kindly and I giggled quietly.

~"Am I tickling you?" He asked as he looked up at my bright red face.

~"A little..." I smiled sheepishly.

~"We need to make out more often... You turn the most lovely shade of red," he whispered in my ear and stroked my cheek with the bridge of his perfect nose.

~I was quiet and said nothing as he flipped me over to lay on his chest. I curled up beside him and rested my head on the left side of his chest, listening to his heartbeat. He ran his fingers through my hair with one hand and wrapped his other arm around me, drawing aimless patterns on my shoulder.

~"You know, Kiera... I love you."

~I smiled up at he whose face was red as a tomato. "I love you, too, Gill... I love you, too..."

~We looked up in the tree's branches spotting different creatures hiding from the rain... like us... I sighed in contentment and curled up closer to him now humming a little song that used to be on the radio before I came to the island. Little lightning bugs flitted around us and a nightingale cooed in the tree a honey-like song. My eyelids became heavy and I felt Gill's breathing slow and grow deeper; soon, a little snore came from his slightly parted lips and it calmed me into one of the deepest sleeps I'd ever had.


	13. Chapter 13

**I hoped you liked the last chapter haha I'm not fluffy like that, so I was choking on the fluff... haha This was was really hard to do, but I couldn't do this from Kiera's POV so... Anyways! Hope you like! REVIEW!**

**~Violetta x3**

Pancakes, Boats, and Confessions on a Boat

~_Gill's PoV:_

~I slept so contently that night moreso than any other night before. Kiera's quiet humming lulled me into a deep sleep filled with only images of her and, oddly enough, a little wavy haired child with bright blue eyes and fair skin. Kiera's bright eyes seemed to stare into my soul and strip me to my core, which was unnerving in a way. Just the way I dreamed of her glancing at me made me feel like I was exposed to her and there were no secrets.

~I awoke to find her curled up on my chest and the dawn just breaking over the great sea. She shifted and mumbled in her sleep as she so often did when she was either waking or in a deep sleep. I couldn't resist just touching her hair and twirling it between my fingers; it was just like auburn silk. She stirred more and quieted suddenly; then, her eyes snapped open and gazed at me with that knowing look she always wore.

~A small smile grew her firm lipped stare. "Good morning..." She yawned quietly and stretched.

~Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. "M-Morning... And a very good one at that."

~She giggled. A sound like silver bells tinkling in the wind. "I'd say so."

~I smiled; as usual, a warm feeling bubbled up in my chest and spread over my whole body when she spoke to me so kindly. Then, another feeling took me completely off guard. My stomach growled furiously and I had a splitting headache. _Stupid rum..._

~"You must be starving..." Her voice, despite being unaware of my hangover, was quiet but just loud enough to not hurt my already pounding head.

~"And hung over..." I commented shyly, wincing as the sun cut over the horizon like a bright bulb in a dark room.

~ She then barked a laugh that was sharp to the hot throbs in my skull but ever so beautiful; her smile never faded but concern filled her features. "I have some Excedrine at the house..." I looked up at she who was now kneeling over me.

~"Okay..." I didn't want to sound like a pansy to her, but retaining my manliness was difficult.

~"C'mon, lovie..." She giggled and helped me steady. "What do you wanna eat when that Exedrine kicks in?"

~I suddenly had the hankering for pancakes, oddly enough. "Pancakes."

~"Hmm... I don't have the stuff to make those..." She sounded crestfallen.

~"We can go to the mainland to get it..."

~"OH YEAH!" Her sharp reply cut into my brain like a hot knife in butter and I started tilting off the beaten path down the mountain. She caught me with an apologetic glance. "Sorry... Forgot..."

~Her innocence was so wonderful in a world of arrogant, highminded, prideful people. I knew she probably wasn't as innocent as I thought...

~We meandered to the outskirts of her farming district, right by the entrance to the mountain's foothills. She guided me to a quaint, baby blue villa with a leafless cherry tree looming next to it. Her taste was a little Spartan, but I liked it better than lavish things. Kiera led me inside gently and darted off to one of the pristine, white cupboards. As she rummaged through the cabnents, I took a look around- baby blue and white, clean-lined place with a clean white kitchen and a dark and light blue mural wall- dark blue vines crawling across from left to right where they thinned considerably. A little TV sat in the corner of the kitchen and a neat white and blue rimmed clock hung directly across from the petite white table where I sat.

~Kiera rushed over with two little white pills and a clear glass of water. "Here ya go." She smiled at me again- her light pink lips pulling back over shiny white teeth.

~"Thanks.." I mumbled and swallowed the medicine in an instant. "Can we stay here until it kicks in?"

~"Of course." Flashed another trademark grin. "You can even sleep if you want..."

~I smiled at her weakly and shook my head. I was _way _too hungry to sleep even if I was a bit tired and figured Kiera and I could just talk since her voice was naturally so quiet.

~"Tell me about yourself..." She beat me to it.

~"What do you want to know?" I asked back grinning.

~"What was your childhood like on the island?" I gave her no response. "Okay...? What's your favorite drink?"

~"Rum. Easy. Yours?"

~"Rum." She gave me a sheepish lopsided smile. "When did you have your first drink?"

~"Um... Twenty-one? You?" She flinched and turned bright red.

~"Seven." I flinched at the number. Not my favorite age.

~"Woah, I didn't know that..." She no longer smiled but looked like she was concentrating very hard on me.

~"Why don't you open up about your childhood?" Her eyes, as piercing as they were, stripped me bare. "Why did you flinch when I said seven?" I flinched again.

~I couldn't hide from her anymore. "My mom died when I was seven, and I haven't acted like a child since... She told me I didn't act like a child then..." A smoldering knot rose in my throat.

~The grey orbs that stared at me so intently seemed to have a fire behind them, something that was eating her alive. Silence filled the air so thickly that if a pen dropped, I was nearly certain that reality would break. She glanced away from me and at the clock. Thirty minutes of searching eachother's eyes had passed and my headache had dissipated.

~"Let's go..." She sighed. Her whole disposition had changed from cheerful to withdrawn in thirty minutes flat.

* * *

~The ferry had been up and running, and Pascal came out smiling, as usual... "How may I help you two?"

~"Take us to get some pancakes!" Keira burst out with a priceless grin though it looked completely feigned to me, and she began to pale.

~He chuckled and loaded us up on the boat to which Kiera drained of all color, turning white as a sheet. "What's wrong?" I asked slightly worried about her.

~"I. Hate. Boats." She white-knuckled the railing with wide, ever-watching, grey eyes. "Why do you think I passed out when I came over the first time? I haven't been on one since..."

~"You'll be on here for only an hour, Miss Kiera," said Pascal confidently.

~"Oh, Goddess." Pascal shrugged and walked away.

~I lead her up to the front end of the boat (I didn't know my boat terminology very well. That wasn't my area of expertice.) and held her hand tightly though her short nails began to dig into my skin and draw little drops of blood. I didn't mind so much as I minded the wild look that crept into her eyes and remained there. She had the thousand-yard-stare into nothingness and seeing things not there but in her mind.

~"Kit...?" She snapped from her reverie and looked at me with the eyes of a frightened animal. "Why do you hate boats?"

~She flung herself on me and began sobbing. I stroked her hair in an effort to comfort her but didn't think that was working until her sobs subsided and all that was left of it was her shakes and whimpers of fear. "Please... P-p-please don't-t l-let th-them g-g-get m-m-m-me... D-d-don't let-t the-them-m hurt m-me..."

~"I won't, Kit... You're safe... You're safe..." I continued to murmer soft words to her until the sky darkened suddenly and rain began to drop large droplets of water from pregnant, blackened clouds. She shook violently like she had Parkinson's disease but eventually calmed enough to speak.

~"T-they hurt m-me on a b-boat..." She shuddered again. "Th-they took m-me and-d took everyth-thing fr-from m-me..."

~Anger welled up in my chest as the terrified, cold little girl cried quietly into my soaking wet shirt.

~I pulled her back and shook her slightly. "Nothing. Do you hear? Nothing will ever hurt you like that again. I swear on my life."

~She looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes, burning with something else... Not fear... "My innocence is gone. My virtue is gone. My heart is not my own and you still want me?"

~My eye barely twitched as she stated her last sentence. Who held her then if it wasn't me? "I want you forever, Kiera."

~She softened and threw her arms around my neck, pulling me down. "You know who has my heart?"

~She barely breathed in my ear and the splatter of rain on the deck nearly drowned her out. "No..." I sighed back and wrapped my arms around her torso.

~"You..."


	14. Chapter 14

**That last chapter SUCKED MAJORLY, but it sets up this chapter so... Haha I hope I can make up the last one by this one :D**

**~Violet x3**

The Mainland and An Old Friend

~I felt kind of bad about my wild mood swing on Gill, but boats made me relive all my fears since they were a key point in my misfortunes. I now believed he thought I was bipolar and a bit psychotic. I world have to make it up somehow probably by buying him things, after kisses, and tomatoes. Lots of tomatoes... He was now dozing inside the protected cover under the boat where he limply held my hand. I couldn't bring myself to smile on this wretched boat, but a mild adoration took over me for the blonde boy... er... man. I began to wonder when he would ask me the question that lingered in my mind. Would we live life as just friends or more? I shuddered and he began to stir.

~"Kit...?" He asked groggily and I giggled darkly.

~"I didn't go anywhere, love."

~"I like that name," he commented lightly and rubbed his eyes to obsereve the clearer sky.

~"Me too." He smiled slightly at me and kissed my neck. My eyes widened instantly.

~"I think I might have to take a bite out of you if I don't get to eat soon..." I shivered as he chuckled richly in my ear.

~All new feelings welled up in me at that point and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at his joke, so I sat there dumbly and he kissed my cheek.

~"Lucky you. There's the mainland."

* * *

~Pascal exchanged short farewells with us declaring he would return much later that afternoon, which was absolutely no problem with me or, as it looked, Gill.

~The stark buildings rose up before us, foreboding and formittable. Gill shrank back and snatched my hand as I took a step and said, "There's more risk here than there is on the island, and I'm not letting you out of my sight."

~I smiled. "What if I have to pee?"

~He winked at me. "You have to hold it." To this remark, I stuck out my tongue like a juvenille.

~We walked hand-in-hand down several blocks really just window shopping and looking for a decient Ihop to eat at. Just before I lost all hope and threw myself on the ground in a fit of despair, Gill pointed to a brilliant blue sign with white letters. Ihop. The saviour of me... or rather my hunger. I nearly ran across the street and in front of a car whose driver honked irritably. I mouthed 'sorry' and dragged Gill along behind me.

~"I swear, Kit. You're going to get yourself killed someday." He shook his head jokingly and his blue eyes sparkled like the ocean in the sunrise.

~"Meh." I replied and shoved through the doors to find the place nearly deserted; I sauntered up to the counter with growing hunger pains in my stomach.

~The girl looked up from a little doodle she was developing on a napkin and smiled up at us both. "Just two today?"

~Gill nodded and rolled his eyes sighing in his usual 'Gill' fashion as if to say, "No, you dumb bimbo, it's us and the Chinese army." I giggled, which brought a coy little smirk to his face. "You know how to make me smile, Kit, you know that? You always knew, and I hope- no- I know you always will."

~I blushed violently and looked away as we were seated on oppostie sides of a booth, facing eachother awkwardly. I glanced around at the typical pale paint, fruit pictures, and, of course, pancakes. Only two other couples and a single with her back turned to us inhabited the area. My tired eyes locked onto the edge of the table and stared there as if the answer to the universe lie on that particular laminated corner. My thoughts wandered and lingered on my future with Gill.

~"The answer to life, the universe, and everything is forty-two, Kit." I tore my eyes away and grinned at my blue eyed angle who was now in my face. Like, no joke, an inch. "Hmm... I thought that movie would never bring itself back into my mind... Turns out I was wrong for once."

~I got flustered and lost my train of thought for a moment. I began to open my mouth and was ever so rudely interrupted by a chirpy waitress with a very familiar voice.

~"What can I get y'all to drink?" I glared at the woman taking our order and noticed my ever growing hunger. She was slight and had a messy brown bun. Light wrinkles made hatch marks in the creases of her eyes and gave her a somewhat tired look- the look that held underlying annoyance that I'd seen so many times in a classroom when students were throwing art supplies rather than using them properly.

~"LYDIA!" I exclaimed suddenly and Gill jumped back red as a shining tomato.

~She stared at me a good long while before a knowing grin overtook her face. "KIERA! I _never _thought I'd see you after you graduated and became a little English mutton head! And whaddya know? Here you are!"

~"It's great to see you, Ms. Lydia." I nodded.

~"It's fantastic to see you and- erm.. Who's this, Kiera? Your husband?"

~"Um... This is my boyfriend, I guess... Gill." My face was brilliantly hot and Gill's continued to darken in shades of red.

~He inclined his head respectfully and glanced at me with panic hidden well behind his cool facade. "This is Lydia, my art teacher, my mentor, and my second mother."

~"Oh, crap. Pardon me. I can't make chit chat with the patrons... Come back when I get off work and you two can come over to my place for a while."

~"Sounds good to me." I turned to look at Gill who nodded curtly. "I want some green tea, please."

~Gill finally spoke up. "Tomato juice?"

~"I'll be out in a skinny minute."

* * *

~Gill and I ate our food in silence and he looked more troubled as time went on. Lydia came back frequently to refill our drinks and I left a tip that was more than usual just because Lydia, of all people, deserved it. She kept eyeing Gill as if in approval or scrutiny I was never certain. A bit later, we left and decided to wander around the town until Lydia got off work.

~Gill made no attempt to hold my hand and looked withdrawn, so I decided to just walk quietly beside him and look in the window shops filled with sweets, baked goods, hand-crafted goods, and jewelry. We trudged along until the sun was nearing the western horizon and I glanced at a large clock that announnced 5:00 ever so proudly. I spared a look at Gill and he was staring intently at me.

~"What is it?" I asked uncertainly in the one instance of speech in our travels.

~He said nothing and we walked into a park shrouded in oaks and browning grass. Few planted flowers were living in the swiftly approaching winter. He led me to a little park bench after walking on a concrete path through the park, and I sat with a slight smile. My feet ere beginning to hurt from all this walking on concrete.

~Gill looked out west at the sun setting prematurely, and I scooted closer to him as he threw his arm around me. "Kiera?"

~I nearly jumped at the break in silence. "Um... Yes?"

~He was quiet a moment like he was thinking of what to say and my heart pounded in waiting. "What do you plan to do with the rest of your life?"

~The question caught me off guard. I was expecting to hear something about getting back to Lydia before her shift was over, but I didn't see this coming.

~"Um... I don't know. What about you?" My response sounded like a cop-out, but I honestly didn't know.

~"Make the island a better place and settle down." He searched my eyes with such intensity it was unnerving.

~"What do you mean 'settle down'?" My curiosity got the best of me and I silently cursed myself for asking such a question.

~"Get married... Have a kid... Spend the rest of my life with a woman I love..."

~"Ah..." was the only response I was capable of making. He smiled kindly, making his ocean eyes clam and tranquil and kissed me softly, and I didn't want to release him ever again. Just his warmth spead over me like a fleece blanket and held me in a protective embrace, but when I thought he would pull away, he continued to mold his mouth over mine. I began to feel lightheaded and pulled away shaking.

~He just smiled and turned his gaze back to the sunset, his cheeks a slight, baby pink.


	15. Chapter 15

**Okay... the last was fluffy. Please pardon all my OC's, but it's hard not to use them when I have a grudge against nearly all the characters in the game XD So anyways... Tell me if you guys want another book because I think... No I know this is the last chapter, so either PM me or review and tell me for a sequel. Thanks all you guys! XD I love you guys- Loveneverfails22, Everlasting Life, and Mirabella Sohma- my partners in crime forever!**

**~Peace, Kiera-Violet-Raven **

An Invitation, A Play, and The Question

~Gill held my hand firm in his as we walked back to the Ihop and saw Lydia cranking up her old, beat up Ford Explorer motioning for us to get in the car, which we did graciously.

~"I'll just drive you guys back to the dock... The ferry will be here any time now..." Her voice held a hint of sadness behind it.

~We pulled up to the dock and jumped out of the car. Lydia was just getting out of the driver's seat when I scooped her up in a great hug. "I'm going to miss you so much, Ms. Lydia..."

~She hugged me back and smiled sadly; then, her face lit up. "The ferry's coming back tomorrow for a green haired girl named Phoebe, so why don't you two and some friends come back and stay with me for a week?"

~I smiled widely and nodded vehemently, and Gill did the same.

* * *

~_The next morning:_

~I looked around at my friends and their boyfriends and nearly laughed out loud at how hard it was for them to function without the other. They were like a bunch of retarded weasel babies without their mother to keep watch over them when seperated. I honestly hoped I didn't act like that with and without Gill, but he would act the same way if that were the case, I was nearly certain.

~Mira was watching Luke talk about some video game and drank in every word. Calvin was with Owen whose mouth was hanging on hinges while Lillith and Ivory chatted over everything and nothing. Gill was late, and I was beginning to think he wasn't coming after all, but I held onto hope with a vicious death grip. Pascal loaded all of our luggage- Mira's black and maroon suitcase, Silver's two purple suitcases, Moon's three blue duffel bags, the boy's luggage, and my black and purple suitcase and dress holder. I'd asked everyone to bring the nicest dress clothes they had for dinner on Gill's birthday that was now only a day away.

~I was the last to walk up on the boardwalk onto the boat in hopes that Gill would hurry the hell up and make it. Suddenly, with one last glance over my shoulder, I saw Gill running (an odd sight) out of Shelly's place with a suit bag and a little pink haired girl looking out the door crying.

~I clambered onto the boat just before Gill mowed me over. "Go, Pascal, go!"

~Pascal did his best to chug on ahead and leave the dock behind. "It's a damn good thing I loaded my luggage onto the boat last night," Gill panted out of breath.

~I looked back at my friends who were laughing heartily. Luke, the wisecrack of us all, spoke up when he was coherent. "L-LUNA!" He kept laughing. "Looks like Gillyroo has a lost lover named Loony Luna!"

~I laughed at Luke's consonance and helped Gill put his hanging clothes in a closet. He'd followed me into the closed area in the boat and frowned. "She was trying to _kiss_ me," he said disdainfully.

~"You don't have a problem when I do it." I laughed as his scowl grew darker and his eyes went flat as a frozen lake.

~"You aren't crazy. And I love you. It's different."

~"Sure sure," I replied giggling, and we walked out arguing uselessly.

~I noticed being on the boat didn't bother me as much as it did before. Moon looked up from praising the nether regions of Owen and dragged me into an all girl discussion while the boys talked.

~"Okay, so this is what I know. Owen and I are getting married!" She grinned and flashed her pearly white teeth while we all let out a squeal of joy for her. We pleaded to let us see the ring and it nearly took our breath away. It was nearly too big for her large hand and shone like the sun, throwing cascades of prismatic light when the sun hit one facet.

~"Woah," Silver marveled at the stone.

~"Pretty..." Mira marveled at the stone's sparkilyness.

~Moon smirked her triumphant way before grinning ear to ear. "When's the wedding?" I asked tentatively.

~"Spring second. Love lasts forever. **_Love never fails_**."

~I grinned and engulfed her in a strong embrace followed then by the other two. Silver looked up innocently and smiled shyly after we released our giant hug. I raised an eyebrow as I looked into the chocolate eyes of my friend who then grinned almost as widely as Moon had.

~"What are you hiding, Silver?" I probed somewhat jokingly.

~"I found a ring I think Cal's going to propose to me with. It's _huge_."

~A dirty joke popped into my head and I took a crack at it, making all the girls squeal and giggle with red faces.

~"For the love of the Goddess, Kiera. You're hilarious!" Mira wailed happily.

~I blushed and we continued to murmmer and giggle until we reached the mainland.

* * *

~_Gill's PoV:_

~It was so nice to see Kiera getting along with hre friends after tending to her farm so much that she almost forgot them, or so it seemed. I was attempting to keep my temper under control with the oh so witty Luke in my presence, but it was difficult. Owen constantly flushed as red as his hair when he looked over at the incredibly curvy Ivory, not that I had intrest in her, but it was impossible to ignore.

~"Okay, so we're all guys and stuff. I need help with something."

~I looked up at Owen who towered over me at a decent 6' 4" height compared to my 5' 8" height. Cal, Luke, and I looked at him expectantly.

~"I proposed to Ivy this morning, and now I'm kinda scared." I smiled and clapped him on the back as we unloaded the boat and loaded up Lydia's Explorer.

~Cal then spoke up. "I'm proposing to Silver tonight."

~Luke whined and huffed. "But I was going to propose to Mirabell today..."

~The suddenly looked at me expectantly and quit their whining while I loaded up the last of the luggage. I looked out at the warm, smiling Kiera taking Lydia in her comforting embrace. I wanted her embrace in more than one way...

~Cal cleared his throat and gazed at me with a probing stare. "Ehherm... Are you proposing to Kiera?"

~"I don't think the question is 'am I?' but rather 'when am I?'."

~"Are you going the old fashioned way? Blue feather and all that?"

~"Yes." Suddenly, I knew exactly when I should propose.

* * *

~_Kiera's PoV:_

~I introduced Lydia to all of my friends' fiancees-to-be and she nearly pounced on her former students with peals of joyful laughter. We entered her wooden house and found she had renovated since the last time we were there and there were many more rooms; well, enough rooms for each couple to have their own, but Gill wanted to protest, saying that it was somewhat inappropriate. He eventually relenquished his argument in the car as I reminded him of Lydia's generosity in the first place.

~Lydia showed us the whole house and smiled kindly. "Anything of mine is yours while you're here, so feel free to use whatever you want."

~I inclined my head and laughed as Moon, Silver, and Mira all plopped down on the floor and watched the giant plasma screen TV. Owen, Luke, Cal and I followed after laughing at them flipping though the channels before settling on watching a recording of a Muse live performance. I was instantly captivated by Matthew Bellamy's singing. Gill disappeared around the corner to talk to Lydia, and I thought nothing of it.

* * *

~_Gill's PoV:_

~I snuck to talk to Lydia about something. "Ms. Lydia?"

~"Just call me Lydia, sweetie." She was slaving over some concoction of what was supposed to be food.

~"Okay, Lydia. I need help with something."

~She looked up bright eyed. "I want to ask you a question and I'll help you with anything you'd like."

~"Deal." I was thinking I was beginning to like Lydia- Kiera had such good taste in people.

~"When are you proposing to my little girl?"

~"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." I smiled and my face got hot. She left her brew in the oven and pulled out a chair for me and one for her.

~"Come, come. Sit, sit."

~"What is the most personal thing Kiera likes? She won't open up about anything that she deems 'unimportant,' which is nearly everything dealing with the city."

~"Well, I actually took some initiative on that and bought two tickets to see Phantom of the Opera... Andrew Lloyd Webber production came to the city this week, and I thought she'd love it since she's such an English nerd."

~I leaned back in my chair impressed with the older lady, and a new question came to mind. "What do you mean by 'English nerd'?"

~"Oh, you don't know?" I shook my head sadly. "She's one of the most well known writers in the country, but I doubt you'd ever heard of her... She has a penname of Violet, but she hasn't put out a new book in quite a few years, and no one knows what happened to her. She was an English professor at age 19 and was far advanced compared to her colleagues, but found city life boring and lonely, so she lived with me until she moved to Waffle Town where no one knew her and she could start over."

~I gaped at Lydia in disbelief. I never knew that side of Kiera, and doubted she'd ever willingly bring it up, so I stored it away deep in the file cabnent of my brain. "She... I... We..."

~"Lots of pronouns, boy, but it won't impress her." She laughed at my loss for words. "I bought the tickets for that production because it's her favorite play and she can play all of its music on the piano."

~I stared at her more. "I didn't know any of this..." And, as if on cue, a piano gracefully played an arpeggio before a little shuffle of paper and a low tone cut through the silence. The TV was silent and minor tones filled the air from the quite identifyable music of The Phantom Of The Opera. Suddenly, Mirabell began singing:

~"_In sleep he sang to me_  
_In dreams he came_  
_That voice which calls to me_  
_And speaks my name_  
_And do I dream again?_  
_For now i find_  
_The Phantom of the opera is there_  
_Inside my mind_..."

~Lydia smiled ever so widely as a beautiful, heart wrenching voice cut though the air and blended with the music so beautifully I wanted to cry.

~"_Sing once again with me_  
_Our strange duet_  
_My power over you_  
_Grows stronger yet_  
_And though you turn from me_  
_To glance behind_  
_The Phantom of the Opera is there_  
_Inside your mind.._"

~"_Those who have seen your face_  
_Draw back in fear_  
_I am the mask you wear..._"

~"_It's me they hear..._"

~"_My/your spirit and my/your voice_  
_In one combined_  
_The Phantom of the Opera is there_  
_Inside your/my mind"_

~I didn't notice the little wet rivers flowing from my eyes and I covered my face in shame. I didn't know as much as I thought I did about Kiera... Now I wondered if she'd ever take me...

* * *

~_Kiera's PoV_

~I finished playing and felt absolutely exhilerated as I'd done something that brought me so much joy. I looked back and Silver was giggling while the rest stood there, mouths open nearly to the floor. Then, my heart sank a little. I didn't see Gill... He was probably doing something important anyways, and this was deffinitely not the most important thing in the world. Suddenly a flash of blue and blonde darted from around the corner of the kitchen, and I was enveloped in a great hug and warm lips crushed down softly on mine.

~"Why didn't you tell me you could do that?" He jokingly demanded as he released me.

~I took a look at Gill whose eyes were red rimmed. My heart nearly exploded... He'd been crying. The only answer I could come up with was to reach up on my toes and kiss him again.

~Someone cleared their throat, and we pushed away from eachother shyly and looked anywhere but in eachother's eyes.

~"AAAAWWWWWWWWW!" Mira, Moon, and Silver exclaimed in unison.

~My face burned with the fire of a thousand suns, and I silently prayed Lydia didn't see it, but with my luck, there she was grinning ear to ear.

~I sat back down at the piano bench with Gill sitting next to me, and I sang another song while playing the piano- of course it was something from The Phantom of the Opera! What else would you think it was?

~The sun was hiding behind the horizon by the time I finished playing all of the music I wanted and Gill kept looking at me with such a curious smile that made my stomach turn. Lydia was on the couch reading and the others were... somewhere... I haven't the faintest idea where.

~Gill spoke in a quiet, docile voice and asked, "Do you want to go see the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of Phantom of the Opera with me?"

~"Contigo?" I exclaimed in my fakest Hispanic accent. "SI, POR FAVOR! MUCHO GUSTO!"

~He laughed and shook his head. "I haven't the faintest idea what you said..."

~"I know..." I said smugly looking up at him, and he threw his arm around me, kissing my forehead.

* * *

~Later that night, I wandered out of the house while Gill took a shower even though I wouldn't have minded sticking around for that. I slouched off into Lydia's bloomed-out garden and saw Calvin and Silver. I hid behind one large bush and listened in.

~"Silver... Lillith... Lilly..." He tried to whisper the words but I heard them all. Silver's eyes were wide and searching.

~"Yes, Cal?"

~He dropped down on one knee and pulled out a really friggin' big ring. "Will you marry me?"

~That was it. She tackled him with great force and began crying. "YES! YES YES YES YES _YES_!"

~Calvin chuckled deeply. "I love you, Lilly..."

~"Cal, I want to spend my **_everlasting life_ **with you..."

~I sniffed quietly and my heart nearly burst. It was just too cute...

* * *

~Walking away as quietly as possible from the two lovebirds, I stumbled onto Mira and Luke sitting next to the lake behind Lydia's cabin. I stole behind a tree just to listen. Yes, Mira. I was eavesdropping.

~"Um..." Luke rubbed his neck shyly. "Can I ask you something?"

~"Sure," was the doe-eyed girl's response.

~"**_Mirabella Sohma_**, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

~Her mouth hung wide open, and I began to feel a little sad. "Yes..." Her eyes, if possible, grew wider. "YES!" She squealed happily and she kissed him roughly.

* * *

~I walked back to the house barely aware of my surroundings and barged in, went right past Gill and Lydia, and almost flew to my room in search of comfort. I was beginning to think that I was wasting my time on Gill... Or maybe... He didn't want me at all...

~I flopped on my old bed's purple comforter and looked at the white ceiling just rolling around the night's events in my head like glass marbles on a smooth surface. They bumped into eachother and clattered as they rolled around, giving me a headache to not be believed. I sighed and curled up to face the wall, sleep was easier to find than I thought. A small light penetrated behind my eyes and I was semiconcious when I heard a little rustling and a sigh.

~"Oh Kiera... I'm so so so so sorry..." A pause. "I'll make it up to you."

~I then felt myself able to fall into a deeper sleep.

~I woke up in the morning to find Gill sleeping and snoring softly on the floor while I sprawled out on my whole queen sized bed. I tip-toed around the sleeping blonde and crept down the stairs to talk to Lydia. I found her cooking _something_ in a large pot downstairs.

~She had on a cap that covered her face and I giggled. "Wow, Lydia, you could be a witch if I didn't know any better."

~She laughed sweetly. "Well, darling, you could be a writer instead of a farmer if I didn't know any better."

~Uncomfortably, I shifted positions and walked to a chair. "Gill and I are going to see The Phantom."

~"I know," she grinned. "I gave him the tickets."

~I smiled back at her and went on with the rest of my day until that night where I dressed up nicely- as in the blue dress of Gill's mother and fixed up by putting on long lost makeup and lip gloss and pulling up my hair in a low ponytail. Gill and I went and took Lydia's Explorer to the theatre, and I watched with awe as the best production I'd ever seen was on display- and I'd seen quite a few. Gill looked wildly amused as I gasped with excitement at every turn of events. I'd seen the movie and read the play a dozen times, but nothing could hold a candle to the actual ALW play. We both enjoyed the play until the very end and then finished, went to the fanciest resturant in town, which happened to be my favorite, and met the others there.

~Mira had on a little maroon dress with black lace and black vines collected around the bottom and thinned as they reached the top of her dress where they excentuated her... um... chest, and her finger was decorated with a white gold band and a shiny diamond. Moon was wearing a cream colored dress with a purple sash while wearing her shiny gold set ring, and Silver wore a plum colored dress with black glitter that swept the floor and a smaller diamond ring set in platinum. Luke, Owen, and Cal dressed in black suits with matching ties to their fiancee's dresses and their hair slicked back (except Luke who refused to wear anything but his bandana and Calvin wore a tophat.)

~Gill wore a dark blue suit that was similar to the dress I wore and we all walked in, ate, and shared laughs for an hour or so. Gill smiled shyly the whole while and everyone else's grins were wide and knowing, like they all knew something I didn't, which worried me somewhat. I brushed it off and continued to laugh, eat, drink, and be merry.

~The girl brought the ticket out with a wide smile that faltered when she tried to give it to Gill and Cal snatched it from her with a small, apologetic smile. "GOOD GODDESS!" He gasped and slammed the ticket down. I stole it and slipped a large bill under it before handing it back to the girl. "Keep the change, dear."

~She smiled even wider and walked off giggling. I smiled at Gill who stole a sideways glance at me and blushed as if he were hiding something, and my suspicion grew and festered.

~We all piled back into the car and Gill drove us home, but when we got there, he softly grabbed my hand as I began to unbuckle and shook his head. The others piled out, said farewells, and winked at me and him one by one.

~"What the-?"

~"Don't ask, babe." I stared at him with wide eyes as he called me such a thing and I looked back at the road that whipped by at about 100 kph/ 60 mph.

~We drove to the park where he stopped and came around to my side, opened the door and unbuckled me. He scooped me up like a bride and his shy smile never faded but grew even more shy and blushed deeper even in the moonlight. He set me down on the bench where we resided the first day to the mainland.

~He kneeled down in front of me and he delicately lifted the locket off my neck. Now I felt completely naked because I'd taken Will's necklace off and hid it in a box in Lydia's house, and Gill held the only thing that made me feel sane in his hand. "Kiera, have you ever opened this locket?"

~"Once, but I didn't understand what they meant, but they had to have meant something since you kept them... And gave them to me."

~He clicked open the locket and pulled out the brilliant blue feather. "This was my grandmother's engagement feather... And my mother's... The bluebird is said to only come when there is love in the air, and I've seen a bluebird fly up to Caramel Falls recently, which made me wonder who was in love. Then, I realized. I was in love... With you..."

~My heart pounded and my skin prickled.

~"Kiera, my love who claims to be _**always on accident**_, will you marry me?"

~"*Gasp*"


End file.
